A Love Less Ordinary
by Engage Fiction
Summary: Dani Janeway has graduated from the Academy and is on her first post Ops on DS9. She's also newly single. When she meets someone new, is it a rebound, or is it actually genuine? Repost.
1. Chapter 1

Story #4 in the "More Than a Lifetime" series

Author's Note: This story is the fourth in a series of stories that do not follow cannon and should not be taken as such. The previous stories, in order, are: 1) Delta Wild, 2) Homecoming, and 3) Graduation. The events in these stories occur in an alternate universe in which Chakotay's stint with the Maquis happened much earlier in his life. He is married to Kathryn Janeway, and they have a daughter. In this universe, Voyager did not combine with a crew from a Maquis ship, but instead reached the Delta Quadrant with a small loss of life and most of her crew in tact. The events of "First Contact" and "Insurrection" have already occurred in this timeline, but "Nemesis" has not. The Dominion War occurred, but with vastly different results. Many of the events of the final season of Deep Space Nine didn't occur, which means the characters that died during the season are not dead in my story.

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Ensign Danielle Janeway turned around in her seat at the table. Someone was watching her again, and she knew who it was.

She didn't know how much more of this she could take. Since her first day on Deep Space Nine a little, over a month ago, Dani had noticed that he'd been following her. At least it seemed that way. It seemed that every time she looked up, he was there, watching her. She knew she was probably exaggerating the whole situation in her mind, but it was odd how a man who didn't really have a visible purpose on the station could appear to be everywhere all the time. The whole situation put her somewhat ill at ease because the man watching her was none other than Dukat. Dukat, the former Prefect of Bajor. Dukat, Captain Benjamin Sisko's arch rival. Dukat, the egomanicac. She could go on. This man had once been one of the most powerful men on Cardassia. He had also been responsible for some of the most atrocious acts during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. From what Dani had heard, he was one of the most charming people one could ever meet, but he was also one of the most dangerous. It was a deadly combination.

What did he want with Dani? Part of her welcomed the train of thought quickly ensuing. It would give her the opportunity she'd been looking for to take her mind off Will. The fight they'd had was horrible. Dani and Will had both said things that were harsh. Those harsh words, Dani thought, were enough to put a large dent in their relationship. They'd separated after the argument.

Tora Ziyal sat down accross from Dani at the replimat, and rescued the Starfleet ensign from her thoughts.

"Well, hello," Ziyal said, joining the 24-year-old human for lunch.

"Hello, Ziyal," Dani greeted. She'd met the half-Bajoran, half-Cardassian young woman her first day on the station, and they'd become fast friends after that initial meeting.

Ziyal immediately noticed that her usually chipper Starfleet buddy was now somewhat sullen. "What's the matter?" she asked Dani.

Dani pasted a smile on her face. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Ziyal asked skeptically. "Then why haven't you touched your food?"

"It's still hot," Dani said.

"It's Terran chilli," Ziyal observed. "It's supposed to be hot."

Dani put her fork down and gave up the act. "Things aren't going exactly as I thought they would a few years ago," she admitted. "And now, I think it's finally starting to sink in."

"How so?" Ziyal asked.

"Well, for one thing, I expected to be posted on a starship, not a station."

"Space stations need just as many good officers as any starship. Probably more."

Dani considered this for a moment before continuing. "I guess you're right about that," she said. "But I also expected to be making wedding plans by now."

"Oh. I see." Ziyal understood perfectly what Dani was talking about. Dani had told the older woman all about her failed relationship with Will Riker. Only then, Dani had appeared to be very nonchalant and matter-of- factly about it. Now, she appeared just the opposite. Ziyal was for the first time beginning to see how deeply this all had affected her friend.

"I don't even know how it all happened, Ziyal," Dani was saying. "I always thought we were so secure in our relationship. It happened so fast."

"I know it's difficult to accept, Dani, but maybe it just isn't meant to be for you two," Ziyal comforted. "If it is meant, you'll find your way back to each other. If not, you'll find someone else."

"That's what I have to keep telling myself." Dani reflected for a few moments. "It all makes me think, though, that my parents were right. They said it wouldn't last. We tried so hard to prove them wrong, but in the end, we couldn't."

"Well, if you were only together to prove a point--"

"I know. We were gonna be doomed anyway. But that's not what it was about. I loved him."

Ziyal waited for Dani to continue. When that didn't happen, Ziyal spoke for her.

"And he loved you," she said.

"No," Dani disagreed. "I'm not sure if he did. He said it, but I don't think I'll ever know for sure if he actually did. Not after the things he said." Dani was lost in thought. "My parents were right. We were doomed from the beginning. It kinda makes me feel like I don't know what I'm doing."

At this proclamation, Ziyal had to say something. "The very worst thing you can do is begin to doubt yourself," she said. "You've just got to go with what you believe is right. When I started seeing Garak, there were a lot of people who didn't approve, most notably my father. But Garak and I did what we thought to be right, and we've come out okay."

"Did someone mention me?"

Dani looked up to see Dukat, her supposed stalker, walking towards her and Ziyal's table. His eyes were trained directly on Dani. To her surprise, Ziyal stood, as if she were preparing to greet the man.

"Father," Ziyal said.

She was addressing him, Dani realized. She stood.

Dukat broke his gaze with Dani and looked at Ziyal, his daughter.

"Ziyal," Dukat said, as he kissed his daughter on the cheek. "All is well today, I trust."

"Of course, Father," Ziyal replied. "Father, I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine. This is Ensign Dani Janeway. Dani, this is my father-- Dukat."

Dani felt herself grow pale. She looked at Ziyal, who was beaming, and back at the snake-like Dukat. She couldn't believe they were even related, much less father and daughter. This man, who'd caused the immediate suffering of millions of Bajorans, had fathered a half-Bajoran child? This had to be an interesting story.

Dukat extended his hand to Dani. She looked at it before cautiously taking it.

"Dani," Dukat began, "That's an interesting name."

"It's short for Danielle," Dani explained.

"Ah. Why do you shorten it like that?" Dukat asked.

"I don't know. My parents always called me by it, and it just stuck, I guess."

"Which do you prefer?"

Dani noticed that Dukat hadn't let go of her hand, yet. "I haven't really given it much thought," Dani said in reply to Dukat's question. He let go of her hand, but his steel blue eyes held a steel-tight grip on her.

"Father, Ensign Janeway was just assigned to the station last month," Ziyal put in, not noticing the interplay between her father and her friend.

"Oh?" Dukat asked. "How long will you be staying?"

"I don't know," Dani said. "Until Command tells me otherwise."

"Ah, the uncertainties of military life...Well, I would love to stay and have lunch with you ladies, but I have an appointment with the good doctor."

Ziyal immediately became worried at the mention of the doctor. "The doctor? Father, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, my dear. I just decided to get a little check-up. That's all," Dukat assured Ziyal. He kissed her goodbye. His gaze wondered back to Dani before he left. Dani looked at Ziyal. Ziyal spoke before Dani could utter a word.

"Something tells me you didn't know my father was Dukat," she said.

"Something tells you right," Dani said.

"Sorry about that," Ziyal apologized. "Honestly, I forget who he is. To me, he's just 'Father.'"

The two women reclaimed their seats.

"I bet I know what else you're thinking," Ziyal said. Dani watched her expectantly. "How can I love someone with a background like his?"

"The thought has crossed my mind," Dani admitted.

"This is how I look at it: I know he's done a lot of things. Bad things. But all I can do is hope that he's telling me the truth when he tells me he's sorry for what he did. I have to judge on his actions at present because that's what matters."

"You're wise," Dani said. "Not many people can do that."

"I've been through a lot," Ziyal said. "I've learned a lot. Sometimes, things aren't always so clearly black or white."

Considering Ziyal's words, Dani, for the first time, ate a forkful of her chilli. Maybe things weren't always so clearly cut, but there was no mistaking Dukat. He was evil. Maybe Ziyal could love him, but nobody else did, that was for sure. The man had caused so many people so much pain. If it weren't for Ziyal, she wouldn't mind seeing the man's head on a stick.

Dani looked down at her chilli. After that first bite, she'd realized that it was actually quite good. She scooped up some more on her fork and brought it to her mouth.

"I see you've regained your appetite," Ziyal said, observing Dani as she ate her lunch.

"Yeah," Dani said after swallowing. "I've still got the rest of my shift in ops to finish, and I'm probably not going to get another chance at food until dinner, so, you know...I should eat while I can."

"Wonderful," Ziyal said cheerfully. She was glad to see that Dani wouldn't be starving herself anytime soon. Perhaps her friend would get over her past relationship with little incident and be okay after all. She rose. "I hate to leave you to dine by yourself, but I promised to meet Garak in 15 minutes."

"Don't worry about it," Dani said with smile. "Go on. I'll be okay."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. Go ahead."

Ziyal smiled before leaving. As Dani watched her go, something crossed her mind. Garak, had once been a spy, hadn't he? He'd done horrible things to people and was an excellent interrogator, she'd heard, often resorting to very...effective means of information extraction. Why did it appear that he was so forgivable while Dukat wasn't, Dani wondered. While Dani had noticed that not everyone fully trusted the tailor, it was apparent that the majority of people would rather deal with him that with the former Cardassian leader.

On another note, Dani thought rising from her seat, Ziyal was surrounded by shady figures. Her father, her boyfriend...Dani supposed the old saying rang true in her case -- women really were attracted to men who were like their fathers. With that thought, it became clear to Dani how Ziyal could love her father after all that he'd done. If she could fall in love with Garak and forgive him of all that he'd done in the past, she could just as readily forgive her father.

Walking over to the recycler, Dani shook her head. She didn't think she could ever forgive someone's faults that easily when the faults were as objectionable as those of Garak and Dukat's. Dani pushed the thoughts to the side as she prepared to return to her post in Ops.

That night, Dani tossed and turned in her sleep. If you could actually call it sleep. She'd been having a restless night dreaming of Will. In the dream, she'd relived the fight they'd had, only in the dream, they'd made up and reconciled. The last thing she remembered of the dream was his strong embrace and gentle kiss. When she'd woken up and realized that it wasn't real, she'd cried.

Dani sat up in bed, leaning against the head board. There was no way she was going back to sleep now. She was afraid that her mind might betray her again by forming another dream like the one she'd just experienced. She couldn't go through that again.

She looked over at the chronometer at her bedside. It was 0215 hours, but that fact didn't convince Dani that sleep was what she most needed right now. No longer tired or sleepy, she got out of bed and got dressed.

Fifteen minutes later, dressed in work-out attire, Dani walked into the station's gym. Not surprisingly, it was deserted, but it was all for the better, in Dani's opinion. She looked around at all the equipment and wondered what would best suit her needs. She needed something that would help her expend a lot of energy. Her eyes immediately travelled over to the row of treadmills. No, she didn't feel much like a run. Besides, she'd always found the activity to be boring. She much more preferred the stationary bike. But she discovered that she didn't really want to do that either.

Dani scanned the room again and her gaze fell on the punching bag in the corner. As she began to walk over to it, the appeal of the activity began to increase. She just needed to take out her frustration on something, anything. What was more perfect than a punching bag?

She picked up one of the pairs of accompanying boxing gloves and slipped them on, fastening them and making sure they were the right fit. They were comfortably snug. For a few minutes, she merely looked at the black bag hanging before her. She'd never boxed before in her life, so she wasn't quite sure of what kind of technique she was supposed to be using. She tentatively punched at the bag one time. It gave way a little and swung slightly. Maybe there really wasn't that much technique involved, Dani reconsidered.

Dani held both of her hands up in a boxing stance and began to bouncily shift from foot to foot. She punched at the bag a few times, these hits a little harder than her initial test blow. As she began to punch more and more, her mind found its way back to Will, no matter how she tried to fight it. Dani gave it up, and let her thoughts roam freely over their failed relationship.

None of it made any sense to Dani. How could they have spent four years together, loving each other so vigorously and then let it all crumble in a matter of minutes after a few harsh words? How?

Punch, punch

Jab Had they really only been together to prove her parents wrong? Jab If that had been the case, it certainly all made sense how everything could crumble so seemingly easily. But four years? It didn't seem plausible that a relationship could last that long if there had never been any real love involved in there somewhere. Punch

Well, Dani knew that hadn't been the case, at least not on her end of it. She'd loved Will Riker. She still loved him. She just didn't know if he really had. And that was what was so frustrating about the whole situation. Hook, punch She'd spent four whole years of her life loving this man, and what had it all been to him? Punch A mistake? Punch, punch, hook

She was really starting to work up a sweat now. Punch It didn't seem that way, like a mistake. At least when they'd been together. Now that they were apart, yeah it felt like a mistake. Jab, jab, jab, jab A very painful mistake.

Through it all, though, Dani still couldn't believe Will had thought she was cheating on him. She couldn't believe that he'd been so convinced. A mistake. Punch She remembered how his words had stabbed at her, how it'd hurt so much when he'd called her young and irresponsible. He'd called her that, and in his eyes, he'd wasted four years of his life. What they'd had, what Dani had thought they'd had, meant nothing to him. She had meant nothing to him. Punch, punch, punch, punch, punch, punch, punch At a point which she could not determine, the tears had started flowing. But she continued with her workout, regardless.

Will may not have loved her, but she'd loved him, dammit! She went full force against the punching bag, letting out a long scream of frustration. Finally spent, she exerted one last feeble punch on the bag as she let out a sob. The sob was followed by another one, and another. Before she knew it, they were coming full force. Dani held on to what little support the punching bag could provide and fell to her knees. She was in a pitiful state, on the floor on her knees, sweaty and crying like a baby. It was truly one of her worst moments. She would've been content to remain that way had someone not tapped on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" a man's voice asked her.

Dani immediately sprung to her feet, acting as if nothing was wrong, as if she hadn't, only moments earlier, been crying on the floor like a little girl. She made sure to keep her back to the man, though.

"I'm fine," she said quickly. She dabbed her runny nose with the back of her wrist.

"Are you sure?" the newcommer asked again with a smooth, silky voice.

Dani quickly removed the boxing gloves. "I'm fine," Dani insisted, still refusing to look at the man who had addressed her. "I just...got a little tired, that's all." She didn't even worry about replacing them on the hook from which she'd retrieved them. She simply threw them to the ground.

"Ensign Janeway?"

'Great,' Dani thought. Despite her efforts to conceal her identity, this person had discovered who she was. She slowly turned around to greet this person who'd intruded on her 'alone time,' and her heart nearly stopped. Dukat was standing before her. She didn't know what to say. He'd happened upon her while she was in this very vulnerable state. She hadn't really expected, or wanted, to run into anyone at this hour, and he'd come and caught her completely off-guard. She suspected she looked a mess. Her eyes were probably puffy, her nose red, her hair stringy and wet around the edges. Then, it suddenly occurred to her -- why did she all of a sudden care what she looked like in front of this man?

"I didn't know anyone else was in here," Dani finally said.

"I apologize," Dukat said. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No, I was just leaving." Dani walked away from him, heading for the exit. She was halfway there when he called out to her again.

"Ensign?"

Dani turned to face him. He was approaching her. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again.

Dani nodded. "Yes. I'm good."

Dukat nodded. He cast a glance over at the punching bag and then returned his gaze once again to Dani. "You know, I'm not really in the mood for a workout right now. Would you, perhaps, like to join me in the replimat for a drink?"

Dani's immediate instinct was to decline the Cardassian's offer. But if she did refuse him, what would she do? Go back to her quarters and be depressed? Did she really want to go back to her bed and cry until it was time for her shift?

Of course not. She wanted to be with someone else, anyone else she realized. And right now, Dukat just happened to be that someone, since he was here now. Why not?

'Because he's a murderous maniac,' she found herself thinking before she even realized it. But before she could refuse the offer, she heard herself accepting Dukat's invitation.

"Okay," she said.

A few minutes later, Dani and Dukat were in the empty replimat sharing a table. In front of Dukat rested a cup of red leaf tea, which he had convinced Dani to try. A cup of the same beverage also sat in front of her.

"Is it a habit of yours to engage in aerobic activity at three in the morning?" Dukat inquired.

"I could ask the same of you," Dani said. She sipped on her tea, which she was enjoying very much. "I couldn't sleep," she said, answering Dukat's question. "Now, you -- do you usually work out at this time in the morning?"

"Yes," Dukat replied.

Dani looked up from her tea at him. Was he being facetious? She watched as he took another sip of his tea and continued. "It's very difficult for a person like me to do some things during normal waking hours. Using the gym facilities is one of them. It becomes a bit awkward when everyone is watching your every move."

'Pity,' Dani thought, staring down into her tea. She didn't feel any sympathy for Dukat, though. For all she cared, he deserved it, to be hated and ridiculed for the rest of his days.

It was when Dani looked up from her tea again that she realized, for the first time that Dukat wasn't all that bad-looking. He was actually quite attractive -- for a Cardassian. No, Dani reconsidered; Dukat was attractive for anyone. Dani internally shook the thought from her head. She did not need to be thinking about this man in that manner.

"I see you're enjoying your tea," Dukat said, breaking into her thoughts.

That voice, Dani thought. It was so...smooth. "Yes, it's fine," Dani responded. It was the first instance that day that she'd had thought such as these, but it wasn't the first time she'd ever thought like this. In reality, it'd all begun when she'd first noticed that Dukat seemed to be everywhere and she'd entertained the notion that he might be stalking her. Dukat was a handsome man. That wasn't in question. And there was something mysterious about him which was appealing and drew people to him -- well, most people. There were quite a few people, Dani knew, who were absolutely repelled by the man. Colonel Kira Nerys was one of them. It hadn't taken Dani long to realize that the Bajoran absolutely hated Dukat's guts. And Dani couldn't blame the woman. As a young girl, Kira had been on Bajor during the Cardassians' occupation of the planet. Back then, Dukat had been running the show on Bajor and on the station. She'd learned all this from conversations with Ziyal over the past month.

"It's a very delightful beverage," Dukat said. "I usually drink it at the start of my day. I find it gives me a little boost to get my day going."

"What exactly is it you do with your day, Dukat?" Dani asked rather boldly.

"Plenty of things, Ensign," Dukat replied.

"Like what?" Dani pressed. She wanted details. For some reason, Dukat seemed like he was hiding something. But, then again, maybe he always seemed like he was hiding something. She really couldn't tell if he was always ambiguous or if he was really trying to keep something secret. Maybe the fact was that he always had secrets to keep. Not knowing the real deal was the scary part.

Dukat regarded Dani briefly before answering. "As you know, I have a freighter ship that I must see to," he explained. "Much of my time is devoted to that."

Dani nodded. "Um-hmm...and the rest of your time?"

"The rest of my time, Ensign, is spent carrying out the daily tasks that most find it necessary to complete for a happy, healthy existence -- exercise, doctor's appointments, good meals. I'm actually quite a normal person."

Dani smiled skeptically. "For some reason, I find it difficult to associate normal with you."

Dukat laughed a little. "Most people do have that problem, I find," Dukat said. "But most people, I also find, don't give me the opportunity to prove to them that I really am not much different from them."

Dani studied Dukat's expression. He had a slight smile, but his eyes were serious. There was a challenge behind those blue eyes. What was it, exactly, that he wanted her to do? "How would you prove yourself?"

"By inviting you to come to my quarters to see how a normal person like me lives," was Dukat's answer.

"And how would I know that you wouldn't have fixed up your quarters to look normal for my prospective visit?" Dani inquired.

Dukat coolly took another sip of his tea before answering. "Well, why don't we go right now? I had no idea I would even run into you this morning, so there is no way I could have arranged my room in any way before- hand in anticipation of your visit."

Dukat's proposal caught Dani by surprise. She took a sip of her tea and examined the situation. It was 0330 hours, and Dukat, a known murderer and traitor, had just invited her to his quarters, where they would be alone and somewhat isolated. He would be able to do anything he wanted to her there. He could if he wanted to...but would he want to?

This was driving her crazy, this not being able to tell if Dukat was telling the truth or not. Dani decided to take a logical approach to the situation. What could Dukat do to her in his quarters that he couldn't do to her here in the replimat at 0330 hours, when it was almost completely deserted. Almost, Dani realized, was the pivotal word, here. What 'almost' covered in the replimat and other public places wasn't covered in the privacy of Dukat's quarters. Despite the hour, a few people did trickle in and out of the replimat. People did not trickle in and out of Dukat's quarters. That was what was so risky about going to this man's quarters. She looked across at Dukat. This was some kind of a test or game of some sort.

The logic card finally came through as Dani thought of something. If Dukat had wanted to do something to her, he'd had the perfect opportunity when they'd been alone together in the gymnasium. Chances were, she concluded, Dukat really was sincere in his desire to show her his quarters. Yeah, Dani thought, he was sincere now, but was he only doing so to gain her trust so that she could become some kind of pawn for him later on.

This was all giving Dani a headache. Frankly, at this point, she didn't care about what Dukat planned to do in the future. What really mattered was that right now, Dukat was telling the truth as far as she could tell. Apparently, that was enough for Dani.

But Dukat had already reached a conclusion on Dani's decision. "You don't want to come to see my quarters," he surmised. "That's quite alright. You don't have to humor me by pretending to contemplate your decision."

"I'm afraid you've reached the wrong conclusion," Dani informed him. "I've decided to take you up on your offer. I will be coming to your quarters." She was a little disappointed when the look of surprise she was expecting to see on Dukat's handsome face never registered. She quickly dismissed it, though, and stood.

"Very well," Dukat said, standing.

Ten minutes later, Dani stepped into Dukat's quarters. Surprisingly enough, the place actually was pretty normal. She looked around the living area. An ordinary-looking sofa set sat a few feet away, and the art that adorned the walls and tables was average at best.

"Quite boring, I'm sure you'll find, as I told you," Dukat chimed.

Dani whirled around to face him and was shocked that the first thought that entered her mind was what a beautiful man he was. He had piercing blue eyes, and the ridges that bordered them were elegant and perfectly formed. He was tall, perhaps six feet, with a slim, lean, muscular build. There was something aristocratic, almost regal, about him that Dani found incredibly alluring.

"Ordinary and normal, yes," Dani said of Dukat's quarters. "Boring, no."

Dukat approached her with an arrogant swagger that was truly his own. "Why is that?" he asked her. Instead of replying right then, Dani stepped around Dukat so that she was no longer facing him. She'd just had the overwhelming urge to kiss Dukat, and she'd had to move away, quickly, before she did something she regretted. What was this? Why was she getting thse thoughts, these urges? The worst part of it all was that she couldn't even control what her mind was thinking. She proved that point when she caught herself fantasizing about her hands moving over Dukat's firm torso.

Dani gave herself a mental shake. Why? Dani knew this was a rebound, from Will. That's why she was thinking like this. She was presented with a perfect scenario to restore her confidence. Will had probably already rediscovered that confidence in the arms of Counselor Troi, Dani thought bitterly. Could she possibly find that in the arms of the man standing in this room with her? Could she simply sleep with him without a relationship? Could she do that? She'd never in a million years believed she would ever even contemplate doing something such as that. But now, here she was, presented with just that option. She unexpectedly turned and faced him.

Should she give in? She wanted to, so very much. And why shouldn't she? What regrets could she possibly have? Not many, she concluded, if any at all. It would be one night, no strings attached.

"I have a question," Dani began.

"By all means, ask," Dukat instructed.

"When I first arrived on the station, it seemed like you were following me," Dani said. "Were you?"

"Why does it matter?" Dukat asked.

"Because I want to know," Dani said.

So resiliant, Dukat thought. "If you must know, Ensign, we happen to share similar daily schedules in that we both visit many of the same places near the same times," he explained.

"Were you watching me, then?" Dani persisted.

"That, I must say, I'm guilty of," Dukat admitted freely. "But, if I'm not mistaken, it isn't all that unusual for a man to stare beautiful woman, is it?"

Dani studied Dukat. Flattery would get him everywhere tonight. He wanted it, she could tell. Not that Dani was being overly-confident or anything. She knew she wasn't the most beautiful thing to ever walk through Dukat's doors, but with a man as virile as he, the odds were pretty low, near non- existent, that he would object or decline. So, without further delay or any warning, Dani stepped to Dukat, wrapped her arms about his neck, and kissed him deeply. He didn't pull back a bit or seem the least bit surprised. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

Three hours later, Dani awoke in Dukat's arms. She glanced over at the chronometer on Dukat's nightstand. 0715 hours. She had to be in Ops at 0800 hours. She looked up at Dukat. He was still sleeping soundly. Dani began to work her way out of Dukat's arms. She knew it would probably wake him, but she didn't know any other method of getting away. As expected, Dukat stirred and squinted through his sleepiness and the dark at Dani, as she rose from the bed and began to pull on the various articles of her clothing that had been discarded around the room.

In a few moments she was fully dressed.

"You're leaving me so soon," Dukat said.

Dani turned and looked at him. He was reclining on the bed, propped up on one of his elbows, and looking sexy as hell. "I have to be in Ops at eight," she told him.

Dukat nodded. "I hope this won't be the last time we'll be seeing each other," he said, as if granting her permission to leave.

Dani knew that it had to be the last time. This was a fling. One night only. She couldn't afford any additional encounters. She simply nodded vaguely before turning and walking out of Dukat's bedroom and quarters.


	2. Chapter 2

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A week later, Dani was in Quark's, and she was miserable. Ever since that fateful morning that she'd run into Dukat, and they'd had their encounter, Dani had been distracted, moody, and irritable. And her work had suffered for it, too. She'd been making mistakes, and she'd been called on it on more than one occassion by superior officers. For a few days, she'd tried to deny why she was in this state. Then, she'd given up and had finally admitted it to herself -- Dukat had made her this way.

Dani didn't know why she'd let her libido and her ego convince her head that what happened between her and Dukat would just be a one-night stand, and that would be the end of it. As Dani was finding, that's not the way it was playing out. She couldn't let it go. She couldn't get the man out of her head. She also hadn't seen him in the past week. She didn't know if that was a good thing or bad. Would it be better to see him? Or would that drive her even crazier than now? She really needed to talk to someone.

As if answering a bell or summons, Ensign Jenna Madsen sat down across from Dani. "Hello," she said in her usual chipper manner.

"Hi," Dani said sullenly.

Jenna immediately picked up on her friend's dull sour mood. It seemed to her that Dani hadn't been acting like her usual self over the past week. Or maybe this was her usual self. After all, they had only just met a little over a month before, when Dani first arrived onboard Deep Space Nine. Then again, Jenna reconsidered, maybe something really was wrong. "What's the matter?" Jenna asked. "You look like hell."

"That's because I feel like hell," Dani replied.

"What's wrong? You've been acting weird this whole week."

Dani looked around Quark's Bar. She'd found that she'd grown increasingly paranoid, always checking over her shoulder for any signs of Dukat. "I've got something to tell you," she began. She'd made the decision that she needed to tell someone else about what had happened between her and Dukat. Doing so probably wouldn't solve anything, but it stood the chance of making her feel just a little bit better, at least.

"What?" Jenna asked.

Dani hesitated a bit before going on. "Last week, I slept with Dukat."

Jenna's eyes grew huge. "You what?!"

"I...slept with Dukat," Dani repeated.

"Dani -- how could you?!" Jenna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Dani and Dukat? She began to eat her tuna casserole as Dani began her story.

Dani began to explain. "It was a one night only sort of thing. Well, it was supposed to be. I had been having some bad dreams about Will, and I couldn't go back to sleep, so I went to the gym to work out. Dukat ran into me there. We went to the replimat for tea, he invited me back to his quarters, and we just...it just happened." Dani studied her friend for a reaction. "He didn't force me or anything. It was completely consensual. Actually, I liked it. I really liked it."

"Well," Jenna said, "if you liked it so much, I would think that you'd be quite happy right now. What's the problem?" She didn't at all sound enthusiastic about the situation. Dani couldn't blame her.

"Well, the problem is that I convinced myself of something that wasn't true," Dani said.

"Which was?"

"I told myself that I could have this one-night stand with Dukat and be completely detached emotionally. I could do it, and when it was over, it'd be over. I'd be through. But the truth of it is I haven't been able to get the man out of my mind since our...encounter," Dani explained.

Jenna's green eyes rose from her half-eaten casserole to Dani's brown eyes. "Need I remind you of who this man is, what this man has done?"

"No, I'm well aware of it all. Believe me," Dani assured her.

"Look, this is probably still apart of your rebound phase. You'll get over it. Just don't do anything stupid, like agree to see Dukat again or anything, and you'll be fine."

Dani nodded. "Right."

"Snap out of it," Jenna urged. "This is absurd. You don't want to spend anymore time with Dukat."

"I know." Dani looked at her friend. "You're right. You're right. This'll blow over."

"Of course it will." Jenna stood. "I've got to get back to Engineering. Chief O'Brien wants some diagnostics run, and it's my ass if I don't get them done on time. I'll see you later. Remember..."

"I will," Dani said. "No Dukat." She watched Jenna leave the bar.

Marac Dukat walked out of one of Quark's holosuites and almost ran back in again when he saw that Ensign Danielle Janeway occupied a table in the bar. He was surprised to find that she was still having lunch. She was usually done by now. Not that he was stalking her. It was quite the opposite. He'd been trying to avoid her. He'd taken to dining in either the holosuites or his quarters and tried to avoid any places he knew she frequented.

This was crazy! He was running away from a 24-year-old Terran female like a nervous schoolboy. Well, a person could only run and hide for so long, he concluded. He looked across at her, and all he could think of was that one night they'd shared. That one night of passion. He remembered the way her red hot skin had felt against his, how soft her touch had been, what a beautiful body she'd had.

Dukat leaned back against the wall, further obscuring himself from Dani's possible line of sight. Great Guls, his body ached for her again! And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it -- or was there? He could just ask, couldn't he? Ask to see her again. Just walk up to her and ask for one more night.

Dukat looked at her again. She was a beautiful woman, and she'd certainly gotten under his skin, hadn't she? He stood up tall, and started to swagger across the room to her.

Dani didn't even see him walk up. He seemed to come from out of nowhere.

"Ensign, could I have a moment, please?"

Dani looked up and there he was, standing beside her table. He was dressed in civvies. Come to think of it, Dani realized that every time she'd seen him on the station, he'd been dressed in civilian clothing. She'd never seen him in his military uniform.

Dani stood. "Actually, I've got to be heading back to Ops," she said. She walked away from the table, headed for the exit. She was dismayed to find that Dukat followed her.

"Ensign," Dukat said, following Dani out onto the Promenade. "Ensign Janeway."

Dani kept walking. 'Don't stop,' she coached herself. 'Don't stop walking.'

"Ensign, I assure you, I'll take only a moment of your time," Dukat said, walking with Dani.

Dani kept walking just the same, but from the looks of it, Dukat was going to stay with her. He would probably follow her all the way to Ops if he had to. Maybe if she stopped and heard what he had to say now, that would be the end of it, and she wouldn't ever have to talk to this man again.

"Ensign Janeway," Dukat said, more firmly this time. Finally, Dani stopped walking and acknowledged him by looking at him. He gestured to the small, intimate restaurant in front of which they'd conveniently paused. Dani sighed, highly annoyed, and walked in, Dukat at her heels. He pulled out a chair for her at one of the small tables. Dani obediently sat. Dukat stepped around and claimed the other seat.

"I'm going to get straight to the point, Ensign," Dukat began. A waiter approached their table, and Dukat quickly waved him away. To Dani, he said, "We should stop all this nonsense, this avoiding each other like some dreaded disease. I refuse to live my life aboard the station like this, always being afraid of running into you. If you're anything like me, you probably feel the same way."

Dani grimmaced mentally. She hated the idea of having anything in common with the man sitting across the table from her. But, she reluctantly admitted to herself, he was right -- she did hate living in fear.

"What do you suggest, then?" Dani asked.

"Why are we fighting this, Ensign? We both know what we both want, so why do we not just give in?" Dukat proposed.

Dani shook her head and looked off to the side. She wasn't doing this again. She'd made a promise to Jenna, a promise to herself, ...

"We did it before, Ensign," Dukat reminded her. "Surely one more time couldn't hurt."

"That isn't the type of relationship I want," Dani said. She rose from her seat. "If you'll excuse me." She walked away from the table.

Dukat immediately rose and followed her. "Ensign Janeway -- wait!" He caught her by the elbow. She turned and looked up at him. "Wait," he said.

"I refuse to be some sex kitten who's used for your pleasure," Dani stated.

"I apologize," Dukat said. "I did not mean to make you feel objectified. I merely thought it might be a way for each of us to reach a state of mutual satisfaction in our situations."

"I'm not interested," Dani said. She turned to walk away, but Dukat still had her arm, so she turn and looked back up at him.

"Perhaps I'm going about this all wrong," Dukat said. "Perhaps the best way for us to overcome our anxiety about each other is to become cordial with one another."

Cordial? Dani didn't even want to be in the same room with this man. She certainly didn't want to be friends with him. She had to admit -- again -- that he may be right. Earlier, they'd just jumped in the sack after a short cup of tea. Perhaps if they worked at having some sort of semblance of a normal relationship, they would come to see each other in ways besides the super-sexual light in which they were both seeing each other currently.

"Dinner," Dukat said. He quickly scanned the establishment they were currently standing in. "Here."

Dani shook her head and looked down at the floor. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

"Not a date; just dinner," Dukat said, assuring her.

Dani looked up into Dukat's blue eyes. "Okay."

"Wonderful. I'll pick you up at 1900 hours."

This was beginning to sound an awful lot like a date to Dani. "Fine," she said. She hurried out of the restaurant. 'So much for promises,' she thought as she headed back to Ops.

Dani passed her tricorder over the open conduit. Everything was as it should be. It was about time. After her station had gone blank, she'd gotten right to work on fixing it. That'd been thirty minutes ago. Everything was fine, now. Dani snapped the tricorder shut.

"Kira and I are going to Quark's after duty," said Lt. Jadzia Dax, the Trill crouched beside Dani in front of the conduit. She'd helped Dani repair the damage to her station. Lucky thing, too. If it hadn't been for Dax, it could've taken Dani close to an hour to fix the station. "You're welcome to come along if you want," Dax said, extending an invitation to the younger woman.

"Thanks, Lieutenant," Dani said, "But I can't. I have...plans." She stood and activated her console, still refusing to think of her plans with Dukat as a date, even though, in all reality, that's what it was.

Colonel Kira Nerys, Deep Space Nine's first officer, strode up to the two women. "How's the work coming?" the Bajoran asked, inquiring about the progress of the work on the station.

"We're all done," Dax said, handing a PADD of to Kira.

"Great," Kira said studying the contents of the PADD. "With just enough time for me to include it in my report to the captain." Once she applied her thumbprint signature to the PADD, she looked at Dax and then at Dani. "Say, Janeway, a few of us are getting together at Quarks after our shift is over. We'd love to have you join us."

"I already asked her," Dax informed Kira. The colonel looked at Dax. "She has a date."

"Oh, I see," Kira said.

"It's just dinner, Colonel," Dani said, suddenly becoming very interested in the information on the console in front of her.

"Uh-huh...so, who's the lucky guy?" Kira asked.

Dani cast a nervous glance at Kira before turning her attention back to her duty station. She knew Kira would not like the word that was about to come out of her mouth next. "Dukat," Dani replied matter-of-factly.

"What was that?" Kira looked at Dani. "It sounded like you said 'Dukat.'" Kira laughed a little at the thought.

"I did," Dani said, looking up from her station console at Kira before walking across to another station.

Kira let a skeptical laugh slip from between her lips. "What? Are you serious?"

"Yes, ma'am, I am," Dani said. She looked at Kira and returned to her original station.

"You mean Dukat Dukat?" Dax asked. "As in Ziyal's father?"

"Yes, ma'am." Dani studied the readout on her console.

"We are talking about the same guy, here. Big Cardassian guy?" Kira pursued. "Cocky as hell?"

Dani nodded and laughed Kira's accurate description of him. "That's him."

Kira and Dax exchanged nervous glances. Kira stepped up to Dani.

"Are you crazy?!" Kira exclaimed. Everyone else in Ops looked at Kira, their attention gained by the raised voice.

Dani looked at Dax and then back at Kira. She understood perfectly the older woman's sentiment. "It's just a dinner," she said, defending the event despite the fact that she felt very much the same as Kira.

"You know, I don't know what young women find so irresistable about Cardassian murderers? First Ziyal and Garak; now you and Dukat."

"Colonel, it's not even a real date," Dani said. More lies. "It's more like a...getting-to-know-you dinner."

"Ensign?" Dax said standing. Dani turned to her.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"That's a date."

"I can't believe you want to date Dukat," Kira continued.

"I don't," Dani said. Finally the truth. "I'm just curious. Can't a person be curious?"

"About him? No!"

"Ensign," Dax began, "we know Dukat. We know what he's capable of. He can be a very dangerous man."

"I know. Believe me, I do," Dani said trying to convince them. "This isn't something I just planned." Dani didn't know how much into detail she should go with this. "This isn't exactly our first date."

"Ensign!" Kira exclaimed, her voice rising an octave once again.

Dani continued. "Look, I really would rather not go into details and, unless either of you makes it an order, I won't. Just take my word when I tell you that I know what I'm doing -- I think."

"He's hurt a lot of people, Ensign," Kira said, her tone somewhat softer. Dani looked at Kira. She understood that what the colonel was talking about hit home for the Bajoran. "We just don't want you to become one of them."

"Well, I thank you for your concern, but I don't even believe that this is going that far. This is one date," Dani reminded them. At the same time, she hoped she was right. She hoped that what she was telling Dax and Kira held true.

"That's all it takes," Kira shot back.

Dani had just finished brushing her hair when she heard her door chime. She looked at the chronometer on the wall. It was 1850 hours. Dukat had arrived.

Dani gave one more look at herself in the mirror before walking into the living room of her quarters. It'd been a while since she'd last worn a dress, and she had to get used to the sensation of loose material brushing against her legs. She stopped at the door and opened it. The doors slid open to reveal Dukat with an armful of red roses.

"Dukat," Dani greeted as cordially as was possible. "You're early."

Dukat looked a little alarmed. "I'm sorry. I can come back--"

"No, it's okay," Dani assured him. "Come on in."

Dukat stepped into Dani's quarters." "These are for you," he said, offering Dani the bouquet of a dozen red roses.

"Dukat," Dani said accepting the roses. "You didn't have to do that." She smelled them. "Dukat--are these..." She sniffed at them again. "Are these real?"

Dukat smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I am thoroughly impressed," said Dani walking over to the replicator and requested a suitable vase. As Dani watched as the vase materialized, she wondered what kind of scheme Dukat was running. He'd brought these flowers so he could obviously impress her, and it'd worked. What was he trying to do...She placed the flowers in the vase and placed the vase on the living room table.

"Perfect," Dani said, admiring the new addition to her table. It really did brighten up the room. She turned to Dukat, who wasn't admiring the flowers, she realized. His staring at her unsettled her. She didn't know why when he'd seen every inch of her naked body only a week before. "Are you ready?" she asked him.

"Of course," Dukat said. He offered his arm to Dani, as he had the day before.

"Shall we?" She accepted his arm and immediately noticed that he had a very firm, very muscular arm.'Must be the work of the Cardassian military,' Dani thought. 'They sure know how to turn them out, don't they?' Then as if an automatic reaction to her own mind, she scolded herself for admiring Dukat. 'Stop it!'

"So, if you could, would you have changed anything?" Dani asked Dukat once she and he had been seated and their orders had been taken.

"Changed anything about what?" Dukat asked.

"Changed anything about your life, your career," Dani elaborated.

Dukat blinked at her a few times. "You're talking about the Occupation." He looked down, slowly shaking his head. "You don't waste any time getting straight to the point of things, do you?"

"Classic Dani," she said.

"Did I mention that you look wonderful tonight?" Dukat asked, skirting Dani's question.

"Thank you, Dukat, so do you." Dani was telling the truth. Dukat was wearing a forest green shirt that matched his skin tone very well.

"Your hair is very enchanting in that style," Dukat continued, commenting on how Dani's dark hair fell into loose rings around her face.

"Thank you," Dani acknowledged. "You're avoiding the question."

This woman was bold. And she wasn't going to give up on this. Dukat liked that.

"Okay, Ensign," he said, his demeanor becoming more serious. "Let's get down to business. What would I have done differently? Well, let's see...I would've improved the living conditions on the station and on the surface, for certain. I would have made sure the Bajorans were fed better. If I could, I would have made sure that my soldiers were less brutal."

At this last proclammation, Dani laughed ruefully and looked off to the side. Then she said, "You know that if you had given the order, your men wouldn't have laid a finger on those people."

"I would never have given that order. You have to understand that I had to keep order some way. Telling my men they couldn't use their own judgment when it came to the Bajorans would be condemning the whole operation," Dukat explained.

Dani didn't believe that for a second. There had to have been better ways handle things. She looked at Dukat. "What else would you have done differently?" Dani inquired.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Ensign, but I can't say that I would have changed much else," Dukat said truthfully.

"Why not?"

"I wouldn't want to change anything that would've prevented my meeting Ziyal's mother." Dukat studied Dani for a moment. "I know you're dying to ask, so please do."

Dani was somewhat relieved. She and Ziyal had never discussed her family, only the fact that she was half-Bajoran and half-Cardassian. They'd never talked about the particulars, like who her parents were, how they'd met, or what her life had been like. Despite her rather blunt question earlier, she hadn't wanted to wander into the forbidden territory of the heart. Dukat had picked up on her hesitation, and he had read her like a book.

"How did you meet her?" Dani asked.

Dukat sat back in his chair and began his tale. "Well, Ziyal's mother-- Naprem was her name--was a Bajoran, as you probably already know..."

Toward the end of the tale, Dani could see that Dukat was finding it difficult to continue. His voice had become low and hoarse, and he seemed like he was close to tears.

"I was not there for my daughter when she needed me most," Dukat ended. "And for that, I can never forgive myself."

"Ziyal has," she said.

Either Dukat was a great actor, or he really did have a heart, Dani realized. Unlike that night when they'd had tea the week before, now, she was actually feeling sympathetic toward the man.

Dukat remembered where he was and quickly gathered himself. He was obviously embarrassed for letting his raw emotions become so apparent in such a public place. He cleared his throat and said, "That she has, Ensign."

Dani looked down at her meal. Neither she nor Dukat had touched their dinners.

"Do you dance, Ensign?" Dukat asked.

Dani looked at him. The question had caught her off-guard. She looked at the musical ensemble that had taken the little stage at the front of the place not too long ago. It consisted of two Bajorans, a human, and a Bolian.

Dani looked at Dukat. "Do you?" she asked.

Dukat was on his feet before Dani even finished asking. He held out his hand to her. She took it and stood.

"I didn't think Cardassians danced," Dani said as Dukat led her to the little dance floor in front of the band.

He put his arm around her and said, "They don't; but I'm the exception." He pulled her a little closer as they started to move to the slow rhythm of the music.

Dani looked around at the other restaurant patrons. They were all looking at her and Dukat as if they were ghosts. Dani couldn't blame them. If she saw her and Dukat dancing together, she'd probably gawk, too.

Dukat must've noticed her distraction, for he said, "Are you dancing with them or me?"

Dani looked up into Dukat's eyes and, to her surprise, felt herself relax.

"Now," Dukat said, "isn't that much better?"

"Of course." The words had no sooner left Dani's mouth than she found herself in the middle of a dip. When Dukat raised her, she asked him, "Where'd you learn that?"

"It was something I picked up," he replied.

"Impressive," Dani said, a smile spreading across her face.

"Did you really like it?" Dukat asked. Dani nodded. "Then, tell me, Ensign, what do you think of this?" Dukat twirled Dani around and brought her back to him.

She was now closer to him than she had been before. His hands rested on her hips, and hers, on his arms.

"I think," Dani began, "that you are a much better dancer than a lot of men I know."

"I'm a mere amateur," Dukat said with mock humility.

"You may have found a hidden talent, Dukat."

"'Dukat' is what my enemies call me," he informed her

"What do your friends call you?" Dani asked.

"'Dukat,'" he said, eliciting a laugh from Dani. "But you may call me 'Marac.'"

"'Marac'..." Dani repeated. She'd heard that it was a real honor if a Cardassian allowed a person to refer to him or her by the first name. Dani was touched.

"You may call me Dani," she said.

"No," Dukat objected. Dani was surprised. He didn't want to call her by her first name? She was a little embarrassed. Maybe she'd appeared too forward by offering Dukat the privilege of calling her by her first name. Dukat continued.

"I don't think so," he said. "I like Danielle much better."

Dani smiled. She was beginning to like this man. That much was certain. But could she afford to? Could she afford to let her walls down for this person?

"I really had a good time tonight," Dani said. "Better than I had expected."

"I, too, had an enjoyable evening," Dukat said. The two were standing outside

Dani's quarters, their dinner having come to an end. "I hope this won't be the last," he added.

This was it. This was the pivotal moment that was going to determine whether Dani was going to pursue this relationship or not. Her date with Dukat had proven that they could have a cordial relationship and hinted at the fact that they could probably be more than just friends. It was obvious to Dani that Dukat wanted to be more than just friends. But Dani just didn't know if she could trust him completely.

"Dukat--" she began, but then remembered. "Marac, I--"

"I'm just asking for a chance to prove myself to you," Marac said, slightly pleadingly. He watched Dani's face as she visibly wrestled with the decision.

"Please," he said. "A chance -- that's all I want."

Dani looked up at him. He wasn't really asking for more than any other man in his position would ask for. And the gamble was the same. Would he lie to her? Would he play her for a fool?

Dukat could tell that the decision was a difficult one for her and nothing he said this night would persuade her to say yes to him. "Why don't I give you some time to think this over?" he suggested to her. "I don't want you to feel pressured either way, and it's obvious that is what is happening." Dani nodded.

Dukat leaned down and kissed Dani on the cheek. "You know where to find me," he whispered into her ear. He gave her one last look before walking away.

Dani watched after him for a few moments before turning and walking into her quarters. She stopped at the table and looked at the vase of red roses. Her comm badge, which lay beside the vase on the table, chirped, and she heard Jenna's voice filter through. "Madsen to Janeway; come in."

Dani picked it up and answered. "Janeway here."

"I've been trying to reach you forever," Jenna said through the comm link. "Where have you been?"

Dani swallowed. She knew Jenna wasn't going to like the answer to that question. She looked at the chronometer on the wall. It was a little after 2100 hours. "Why don't you come over. I'll tell you all about it."

Jenna Madsen appeared at Dani's door ten minutes later. "Dani, what is going on?" Dani stepped to the side, and Jenna walked in. She stopped short and her jaw dropped to the floor when she saw the roses on Dani's coffee table. A wide smile slowly spread across her attractive face. She turned to Dani, who was making her way from the door to the couch.

"Someone had a date," Jenna surmised.

"Yes..." Dani said, sitting on the sofa.

Jenna was at her friend's side in an instant. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, slapping Dani playfully on the arm. "Who's the lucky guy, and how did it go? I want details."

Dani took a deep breath. "Jenna, you're not going to like what I have to say next," she said.

"Why not? Was it a total disaster?" Jenna asked.

"No," Dani said, "it went very well, actually."

"Then what is the problem?" Jenna pressed.

Dani looked her friend of only a month directly in the eye. "I went out with Dukat tonight, Jenna."

Jenna's expression changed from curiosity to something that Dani couldn't quite pinpoint. "You what?!"

"We went out on a date," Dani said.

Jenna rose from the couch and paced a few times before looking down at Dani. "Dani -- you said you wouldn't!"

"I know, and I didn't mean to."

"What? It just happened? Like when you two slept together?"

"No." Dani rose and walked over to the other woman. "I meant to say no. I was going to, but the man wouldn't leave me alone, so I thought that if I gave him what he wanted, which was dinner, maybe that'd satisfy him, and he'd leave me alone."

"I can't believe someone as smart as you would think something so stupid," Jenna said.

"What?" Dani asked. "It started out like that. I seriously went into this with the intention of not seeing him anymore after this."

"So, what changed. What went wrong?"

"Nothing. That's the problem. Everything on the date was perfect. I found that he's really a decent person, when you get to know him."

Jenna rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. She felt like a mother whose child was trying to convince her of the merits of orbital skydiving.

Dani continued. "It's true. He's not really a bad person."

"You're going to tell me the bad Cardassian government made him do all those horrible deeds," Jenna quipped sarcastically.

"No. I'm going to tell you that everyone does things that they regret later on, and the fact that those people did those things once doesn't mean they're the same person they once were or that they'd do those things again," Dani explained. After saying all this, Dani realized that she had just succeeded in convincing herself that she did in fact want to see Dukat again. What kind of hypocrite was she if she could defend him using the words she'd just said and still refuse to give him a chance?

"I really do think he's changed," Dani continued. "Did you know that he dances?"

"Dukat?" Jenna asked. The skeptical look that graced her features was replaced with one of disbelief.

"Yeah," Dani said. "He's pretty good at it, too. The man is definitely full of surprises, as I found out by the dancing thing. He's also very charming and sweet...and I've decided to see him again."

"Dani!" Jenna exlaimed. "You can't! This is the man who has the blood of Bajor on his hands. He's not Romeo or Casanova; he's a cold-blooded killer!"

"You're wrong," Dani said emphatically. She couldn't believe that after the time she'd spent with him tonight. She shook her head. "You're wrong."

Jenna could see that she wasn't getting anywhere with Dani by attacking Dukat. So, she decided to try another approach. "Dani, what about your parents? What are they going to say? What about Will?"

That last question sparked a little flame in Dani.

"Dani, please don't tell me you're pursuing this as a way to get back at Commander Riker," Jenna said.

"Will and I are through," Dani said sharply. "He's probably found his way back to Counselor Troi's arms by now. As for my parents, I don't know. I'll deal with that when I get there."

"'I'll deal with it when I get there'?" Jenna repeated. "I don't think it's

going to be that easy, Dani. You do realize that this is the very man who bears at least some responsibility for destroying your father's home colony?"

"I'm not stupid, Jenna. Of course I know that. When this gets back to my father, he's going to explode. But if I do everything to please my parents, I'll never live. This is my life. I'm going to make my own mistakes. And if this is one, then...so be it. It is. Marac--"

"Marac?" Jenna said in disbelief. "Are we on a first name basis, now?"

"Yes," Dani said. She was unable to keep a small smile from appearing on her lips.

Jenna sighed, giving up on any effort to try and dissuade Dani from continuing with her doomed relationship with Dukat. She reclaimed her seat on the couch.

"What else happened on your date?" she asked.

Dani followed Jenna back to the sofa. "Nothing, really," she replied. "He took me back to my quarters and we said goodnight. That was it."

Jenna sat back and crossed her arms. "What does Ziyal think about all this?"

Dani sighed. "I don't know. I haven't talked to her, yet."

"Don't you think you should?"

"I will."

Jenna looked out the view ports behind the couch. "You know, Colonel Kira could order you not to see Dukat," she said. "She doesn't like him, either, and if she found out you two were dating-"

"She already knows," Dani interjected. "I told her and Lt. Dax this afternoon that I had a date with Dukat."

Jenna turned back to Dani. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," she said.

"I do," Dani said.

"I don't mean to trample on what could be your happiness, Dani. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I know," Dani said. "And I appreciate it. I just think you're wrong."


	3. Chapter 3

Colonel Kira Nerys pressed the door chime outside Dukat's quarters. It was the morning after his date with Danielle Janeway, and Kira was mad. She hadn't had a chance to go and talk to that Cardassian snake Dukat before his evening with the young Ensign Janeway, but it was Saturday, now, and she was off duty. She had

all the time in the world.

"Come in," a voice beckoned from within the quarters. Kira pressed the open button. The doors slid open, and she stepped in. The doors slid shut behind her.

"You shouldn't leave your door unlocked like that," Kira said. "I'm sure there are plenty of people around here who'd like their chance at you."

Dukat turned to face Kira. "Why, Colonel -- I didn't know you cared."

"I don't," Kira said bluntly. "It's just that I've got enough to worry about around here without a murder on my hands."

Dukat let the insult pass, as usual. "What can I do for you, Colonel?"

"You could leave, but I know that's not going to happen, so I'll settle for this--" She took a few steps toward Dukat. "You could leave Ensign Janeway alone."

Dukat had known it would only be short time before Kira came barking up his tree about the matter. She was right on schedule. "Ah, so this is about Danielle?"

"Yes, this is about Danielle," Kira said. "Dukat, there are plenty of other women on this station to choose from to have your way with."

"They are, Colonel, but I don't want them; I want Danielle," Dukat insisted. "And for your information, it isn't about having my way, as you so put it."

"What is it about, then, Dukat?" Kira asked Dukat in a manner that told him that she already had an answer for her own question. He didn't answer, but merely looked at her, interested in where she was going. "What kind of game are you playing this time?" Kira continued.

"No games, Colonel," Dukat said. "I'm merely a lonely man who's found some companionship."

The laugh that came from Kira was more than just a little sarcastic. "Okay, we'll play this innocent act. You're looking for companionship. But why her? What's so special?"

"She is what's so special, Colonel," Dukat said. He walked over the sofa and sat. Kira remained standing. "When she looks at me, there is no fear in her eyes. She doesn't see me as some monster, although she has every reason to. The only thing she isn't sure of is if she can trust me, for which I can't say I would blame her if she didn't."

"If she knows what's good for her, she won't," Kira spat.

Dukat nodded. "You could be right," he said. He realized that Danielle still hadn't come to him with her decision on whether she wanted to pursue this relationship with him, and as far as she was concerned, this relationship might already be over. But he would never let Kira know that. He wanted the upper hand while he could still maintain it. He didn't want to give her any fodder for her cannon. "So far, though, Danielle has given me a chance."

"A chance to what? Hurt someone else?"

"I would never dream of hurting Danielle. I'd rather cut off my own arm."

"Don't say that around too many people. You might start to give people ideas."

Dukat stood and walked around the coffee table to Kira. "This isn't a joking matter, Colonel. Do you really think I'd do anything to hurt Danielle?"

"Yes. I do." Kira's brown eyes met Dukat's blue ones and embarked on a most intense stare-down with them. Kira couldn't believe that the man actually had the nerve to sit here and lie to her face. Well, actually, she could believe that. What she couldn't believe was that he actually expected her to believe that what he was saying was true. Like she was some kind of idiot!

Then Dukat said something to Kira that turned her entire train of thought surrounding him around. "I swear on the life of my daughter that I would never do anything to hurt Danielle, just as I would never do anything to harm Ziyal," he said.

Dukat didn't blame Kira for not believing him. He hadn't expected her to. She never had before. But she should know, having spent enough time with Cardassians and with him, that when he or any other of his species swore on the life of his child, that was his highest word, and it was assured that it would not be broken.

The door chime was the only thing that broke the staring contest between the Cardassian and the Bajoran. "Come in," Dukat called, turning his attention to the door. The doors slid open, and Dani Janeway entered. She stopped short when she saw Kira. "Colonel Kira," she greeted, almost immediately aware of the reason for her visit.

Kira simply nodded to the ensign. "Ensign."

"Danielle," Dukat said.

Dani walked towards Kira and Dukat. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said, already knowing that she was.

"No," Dukat said. "In fact, the colonel was just leaving."

Kira looked at Dukat. The fact that she was leaving was news to her. That skeptical glare of Kira's was present, Dani noted. Kira turned to Dani with the same glare, on the way out of Dukat's quarters.

Once the doors had closed, Dani turned to Dukat. "What did she say?" she asked him.

"Nothing," Dukat lied. "The colonel is just concerned about my safety. She says I should keep my door locked."

"She's right. Things can get dangerous sometimes. Especially for you."

"So I've heard." Dukat gave the door one last look before letting the whole matter drop and turning his attention back to Dani. "Have a seat."

"Thanks." Dani sat on the sofa. Dukat sat down beside her. "I've come to a decision about what I want to do," she informed him.

"Before you say anything else, I would like to say something," Dukat requested.

Dani nodded. "Okay."

"Danielle," Dukat began, "I realize that you have every reason in the universe not to trust me, but I won't ask you to ask you to be with me if it's going to make you uncomfortable. But if it isn't going to make you uncomfortable," he said, taking her hand and looking intensely into her eyes, "Please -- don't deny me this opportunity to be happy."

"I won't," was Dani's reply. "I've decided that we should move forward with this relationship. I decided last night, actually. I just had to be sure."

"Are you?"

Dani nodded. "Yes," she said.

"You realize this won't be easy," Dukat pointed out.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But you tell me -- what relationship is?"

Dukat smiled. "None, I suppose," he replied. He reached out and stroked Dani's face with the tips of his fingers. Dani watched his face as he did so. Was she really doing this? Was she going to dive into another serious relationship?

Another serious, controversial relationship? Why?

Because there was something about the man sitting before her that Dani found it hard to say no to.


	4. Chapter 4

/\

The doors to holosuite number 2 slid open, and Dukat and Ensign Danielle Janeway strode out. Julian Bashir, seated beside Miles O'Brien at the bar a few feet away, couldn't help but notice the odd couple as they made their way through the establishment.

Bashir turned to O'Brien. "Who is that with Dukat?" he asked O'Brien.

Miles turned just in time to see Dukat and Dani walk past the bar. "That's Ensign Dani Janeway, the newbie in Ops. She helps out in Engineering sometimes."

"You mean Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay's daughter?" Bashir asked.

"Yeah. That's her," Miles confirmed.

"What's she doing with Dukat?" Julian took a sip of his root beer.

"Nothing's for certain, but the word going around is that they're a couple."

At that last statement, Julian began to cough. Miles turned to his friend to see what was wrong with the good doctor. "Julian," he said, concerned, "what's the matter?"

Finally Julian regained enough control to talk. "They're a couple?" he repeated. "Since when?"

"A few weeks ago, from what I heard," the chief said.

"How did that happen?" Julian asked.

Miles wasn't sure if it was directed at anyone or was simply rhetorical, but he provided an answer anyway. "I have no idea."

Julian drank some more of his root beer. "Well, Dukat certainly has found himself a catch."

"Yeah," O'Brien said. "So has Janeway. Her parents are going to go through the roof when they get word of this."

Dax and Kira entered Quark's. They spotted the doctor and the engineer at the bar and decided to join them.

"Hey, Julian, Chief," Dax greeted. "What's going on?" She and Kira took seats on either side of Bashir and O'Brien.

"We were just talking about the station's newest couple," O'Brien said distastefully.

Dax grimmaced mentally. "Janeway and Dukat," she said.

"Yeah," Julian began. "Dukat? She couldn't find anyone to date but Dukat?"

"Who else did you have in mind, Julian?" Dax asked suggestively, causing the doctor to blush slightly.

"I had a talk with Dukat the other week," Kira said, jumping into the

conversation.

"What did he say?" Julian asked.

"He swore to me that he wouldn't hurt Dani," Kira replied.

"Typical," O'Brien put in.

"He swore it on Ziyal's life," Kira added.

Bashir, Dax, and O'Brien all looked at each other and then back at Kira. They all realized the significance of a declaration such as that, just as Kira had recognized it that day when Dukat had said it to her.

"So...he's serious?" Julian asked.

"Apparently so," Kira said. "Cardassians may be a lot of things and they may be capable of a lot, but one thing they do not do is go back on their word like that. When they bring children into the mix, it's for real."

The four of them let that bit of information sink in for moment. Then O'brien spoke up. "I don't understand it," he said. "You got plenty of lads around here that would be more than happy to go out with the girl, and she picks Dukat over the lot of 'em." It was no secret that Miles O'brien had more than a few misgivings about Cardassians. He'd had a few brushes with them in the past during his Starfleet career and was extremely unenthusiastic in matters

concerning members of the race.

"It's a bloody shame 'sall I can say." The Irishman rose from his seat at the bar. "Well, I've got to get back to Engineering."

"I'll walk back with you a ways, Chief," Julian said, standing. "I've got to get back to the infirmary, myself." He turned to Kira and Dax. "See you later." He walked out of Quark's with O'brien.

Dax turned to Kira, who seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Kira felt Dax's eyes on her and was prompted to say something. "I just...I don't know what do think," she said. "This is Dukat we're talking about. I'm with Miles on this one; I don't understand it. I didn't understand it with my mother, and I don't understand it now."

Kira's mind wandered back to her experience with the Bajoran Orb of Time, during which she'd discovered that her mother had been Dukat's mistress during Bajor's occupation. The revelation had come as a shock to Kira, and she wouldn't have believed it herself if she hadn't witnessed it with her own eyes. She could never understand how her mother could have fallen for Dukat. Sure he was a charmer, but how could she, knowing what had done, the suffering he had caused. The same went for Tora Naprem, Ziyal's mother, and now, for Danielle Janeway.

"There must be something I'm missing," Kira said. "Something about him that I'm not seeing."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm not seeing it, either," Dax commented.

Kira looked at her Trill friend. "I guess I should take comfort in the fact that I'm not alone in my sentiment, then."

Dax gave Kira an encouraging smile. "Come on; let's get to Ops."


	5. Chapter 5

/\

"Ensign Janeway? Ensign Janeway?"

Dani, who was just leaving the replimat on her way to Ops for the start of her shift, turned to see Jake Sisko's tall frame running to catch up with her. Once he finally caught up, Dani greeted him.

"Mr. Sisko," she said resuming her course for the stations center of operations. "What can I do for you?"

Jake Sisko was the only son of the station's former commander, Captain Ben Sisko. Jake was tall, a little taller than Dukat but not quite as tall as Will. He was slimmer than both of them, though, and despite the fact that he was a few years older than Dani, he still maintained a boyish appearance.

"Mr. Sisko?" he said, repeating the way she'd said his name. "That sounds so...old. Call me Jake."

"Okay, Jake," Dani said. "Can I help you with something?"

"You sure can," Jake said. "I hear that you and Dukat have become awfully close in the past few weeks."

Caught completely off-guard, Dani stopped walking, and looked up at Jake. "Where'd you hear that?" she asked him, taking extra effort to keep her tone neutral.

"It's all over the station," Jake told her. "Of course, they're just rumors, for now. People are talking, Ensign."

"What kind of rumors?" Dani inquired.

"Rumors," Jake said, raising a dark eyebrow.

Dani swallowed. She and Marac hadn't taken any extra precautions in order to keep their blooming romance a secret, but they hadn't exactly gone about the station advertising it, either. Their public relationship was so ambiguous in appearance that they could very easily have passed for good friends. Many times, they'd both appeared with Ziyal, a common link between them.

Dani had known there would be talk anyway, though, and she'd expected the rumors to start flying. "I've been dealing with the public and rumors on a normal basis since I was nineteen," she informed the young reporter. "This is nothing new."

"Maybe," Jake said. He lowered his voice and moved a little closer to Dani. "But the difference this time is that people are beginning to take those rumors and speculations for the truth. They're not just rumors anymore. They evolved into fact. And it's spreading." Dani's eyes rose to meet Jake's. "Like wildfire," he added. "The most popular and most believed thread is that you and Dukat are an item."

Dani maintained her composure, despite the fact that she felt as if her legs had been kicked out from under her. Her thoughts immediately turned to the possibility that her parents were finally about to find out what their little girl had been up to. She suddenly felt helpless, like things were about to spin terribly out of control.

"Jake, I'll be glad to talk to you," she began, "but I've got to get to Ops for my shift. Why don't we discuss this over lunch?"

"Of course. The replimat?"

"Yes, that's fine. 1200 hours?"

"I'll be there." He turned and walked away with a smile on his face, knowing that he was on the brink of one of his best stories to date. A squeaky clean Starfleet officer and an infamous Cardassian traitor. Beauty and the beast. Forbidden love. It was classic!

Dani turned and resumed her journey to Ops, a heavy feeling of dread descending upon her.

Dani sat across from Jake, sipping on her mug of warm raktijino. She was trying to remain calm about this whole thing, but how could she possibly do that, when she knew that anyday now, her life could be turned completely upside down?

"Now, before you say a thing, I just want you to know that everything that's said here today is completely off-the-record," he informed Dani. "This isn't an interview; it's merely a...fact-finding mission."

Dani nodded, indicating that she understood, and Jake continued. "First thing's first -- are you and Dukat involved romantically?" Jake asked with uncertainty mixed with curiosity.

That afternoon, after her shift, Dani went to Dukat's quarters. She walked in to find him completely immersed in his work. He was seated at his desk, staring intently at his computer screen. He looked down at some PADDs that lay scattered on his desk and then back at the screen again. He looked extremely busy, and Dani was beginning to think she should come back later when he looked up from his work at her. His features, which had been wrinkled in concentration, immediately softened at the sight of her.

"Danielle," he said, rising and walking over to meet her. He leaned down and kissed her.

"You seem very busy," Dani said. "I could come back later."

"No, no," Dukat protested. "I'm never too busy for you. How was your day?"

"It was okay," Dani replied.

"Just 'okay'?"

"Well, I had an interesting discussion with Jake Sisko today."

"Oh?" Dukat crossed the room and stepped up to the replicator. "Something to drink?" he asked over his shoulder.

"No," Dani said.

Dukat requested a small glass of tomato juice. It materialized, and he received it. He turned back to Dani, raising the glass of bright red liquid to his lips to take a sip. Dani grimaced instinctively at the sight of it.

Dukat froze after the first sip and then lowered his glass. "You don't like tomato juice," he surmised.

"It's like drinking ketchup," Dani told him.

"Hmm, I've never tried ketchup before," Dukat said.

"It's a condiment. It's good on things like meat and potatoes. But just because I like it on my meat doesn't mean I want to drink it," Dani explained.

Dukat sat down on the sofa, tomato juice in hand. "What did you and Mr. Sisko discuss today?" he inquired, tossing the subject of tomato juice aside.

Dani walked over and sat down beside Dukat. "Us." She watched Dukat, attempting to guage his reaction.

He leaned over and placed his half-empty glass on the low table before him. "What did he want to know?"

"Marac, there are rumors around the station that we are romantically involved," Dani informed him.

"I know," Dukat said. "Ziyal has mentioned them to me."

"Well, the problem is...I don't know if it's really a problem. I guess it just depends on how you look at it. The issue at hand is that these aren't just rumors anymore, people are taking them for fact."

"And Mr. Sisko wishes to provide us with the opportunity to set the record straight on the issues by conducting an interview and publishing it," Dukat said, finishing for Dani.

"That about sums it up." Dani rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

"This is distressing you," Dukat observed.

Dani lifted her head and looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Yes, it is."

"Darling," Dukat said, alarmed. He gathered her into his arms. "I had no idea this was such grievance for you."

"I'm just so scared. What is this going to mean for my career? And my family -- what is my father going to say? Or do? When he finds out--"

"Shhh...Do not trouble yourself with such thoughts. We shall deal with them if they occur." Dukat calmly stroked Dani's shoulder.

Dani let Dukat's words sink in. She was overreacting again. Why was that always such a problem with her? She relaxed against Dukat, letting her head settle just under his chin. They were both content in the silence.

"Danielle," Dukat said softly. There was something in the way he'd said her name that prompted Dani to look up at him. He continued. "I fear that you fail to understand just how much you've come to mean to me over these past weeks."

Dani sat up. What did he mean by that? She watched as he rose from the sofa and disappeared into the bedroom.

Dani thought she'd been doing a pretty good job of gauging his feelings toward her. The truth of it, though, was that the only person whose feelings she could be absolutely sure of was her own. She enjoyed the time she spent with him. She would even go so far as to say that she was falling in love with him. She hoped, with all that was at risk for her, that he at least felt something akin to what she felt. The fact that he'd just told her she didn't understand his real feelings caused a rising alarm in her.

Dukat returned a moment later with a small box in hand. Reclaiming his seat, he began. "When we embarked on this relationship, I know we fell into it, for lack of a better term, with no real goals for where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do. Somehow, we've grown. We've evolved. I care a great deal for you,

Danielle." He handed the little box to Dani. Puzzled and curious, Dani accepted it and opened it. Inside was a beautiful ring with a bronze-looking metallic hue to it. It had an intricate design in it that Dani had never seen before.

"Marac," she breathed.

"Do you like it?" Dukat asked her.

"It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it." Dani handed the box back to Dukat.

"It's made of pure gold-pressed latinum," Dukat said, removing the ring from the box. He held it up and studied it, making sure that it was free of any type of flaw. Mistakes, especially on this ring, were not acceptable. "I had it made. There is none other like it anywhere in the universe." He looked at Dani. "I had it made for especially for you."

Dani looked at him, obviously surprised. "For me?"

Dukat took her right hand and slipped the ring on her middle finger. It looked perfect there. "I love you, Danielle," he told her. He then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

Dani shook her head. "Marac, I can't say those words to you right now because I just don't feel ready." She stood and walked across the room.

"I didn't mean to place any pressure on you," Dukat said. "I was merely stating how I felt."

"But how do you know that you really do feel this way about me?" Dani asked. "It's still so soon. It's only been a few weeks. How do you know this is real? How do you know you aren't just in love with the idea of being in love?"

Dukat rose and walked over to meet Dani. "Because I feel it," he said. He pointed to his chest. "Here. I know because I don't care what all those people out there will think when thy find out we're together." He placed his hands on her arms and let them trail down to her hands. "I know because being with you makes me feel good inside, like I can be a better person than I was without you. Danielle, you're the only other person besides Ziyal who can do that for me. This isn't the crush or silly infatuation I had when you first came aboard the station. This is real."

Tears formed in Dani's eyes, and she couldn't explain why. As they began to trail down her cheek, Dukat reached up to wipe them away. "What is it?" he asked her.

She shook her head, and he persisted. "Danielle?"

Yet, she shook her head again and this time said, "No. I'm fine." But the tears were still coming. Here he was baring his soul to her, and she couldn't tell him that she felt the same. "I feel so bad. I don't want you to waste your time with me."

Dukat swallowed. He hated that she felt that way. Any time he could spend with her would surely not be counted as time wasted to him. "I know that your feelings toward me aren't as strong as those I have toward you. But it doesn't matter to me. It doesn't change the way I feel. As long as I have the chance to be with you, I shall be content."


	6. Chapter 6

/\

Dani Janeway opened her eyes at 7 a.m. sharp at the sound of her alarm blaring in her ears. As she slowly sat up, attempting to gather her thoughts for the day, an alarming thought hit her like a phaser jolt -- it was the day after her and Dukat's interview with Jake Sisko.

She stood and wandered into her living room, not exactly knowing how she should feel or what she should do. What was on the other side of the doors of her quarters? Would there be an angry mob? Or would no one care? Would people be as cold as ice to her? Or would they treat her like they always had, only to talk about her behind her back they were sure she was out of earshot?

Dani looked at her computer console. Maybe she should check her messages for the morning...

She sat down at her desk to access her messages. The first one was from Jake, confirming that he'd posted the interview with the Federation News Service. He'd attached a copy of the finished article to his message. Dani opened the attachment and skimmed over the article. It seemed pretty accurate and balanced, to Jake's credit. He'd actually presented them for what they were: two people who were in a relationship and merely wanted to live their lives with the same opportunities as others in their position. Maybe this whole thing wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe when people read this, Dani thought, they'd be more receptive to the idea of her and Dukat together.

When Dani read the next message in her terminal, that optimistic thought quickly dissipated. "You should be ashamed of yourself, you Cardie-loving bitch," the message read. "The uniform you wear would be better-deserved by a Romulan, you traitor! Get off that station and go to Cardassia with that spoonhead and all the others of his kind."

Dani quickly deleted the message. Maybe the article hadn't had the effect she thought it had after all. It hadn't if the previously opened message was any indication. Dani moved on to the next message. This one was from a familiar face -- Emma Shale. Dani immediately rolled her eyes and accessed the message.

"Well, what a nice surprise!" it read. "Dani and Dukat -- has a nice ring to it, if I do say so myself. So, I guess this means you'll be resigning your lofty position on Deep Space Nine. I always knew you wouldn't make it. Thanks for proving me right!"

Dani angrily deleted the message, a sense of dreadful foreboding of what the remaining 43 messages on her terminal were about. And it was only 0700 hours. The day hadn't even started, yet.

Damn, she thought. What she feared most was becoming reality.

She rose from her terminal, intending to return to her room to dress, but paused when the door chimed. 'Somebody's here to confront me in person,' she thought. And here she was in her pajamas, a skimpy shirt with no sleeves and a matching pair of shorts.

The door chimed again, and she dismissed the issue of her clothing, or lack thereof. "Come in," she said. The doors slid open, and Dukat glided in. "Marac," Dani said. She was relieved that it was him and not some angry reader.

Dukat noted her sigh of relief. A glance in the direction of her computer monitor confirmed his thoughts. "I take it you've read your messages for the morning," he surmised.

"Some of them," Dani replied.

"They weren't encouraging," Dukat guessed, again correct in his assumption.

Dani merely shook her head to the negative. She took a few steps and sat down on the sofa. "I don't think I've ever been so insulted so many times in such a small amount of time," she said. "And that was just one message."

"I don't mean to sound pessimistic," Dukat said, joining her on the couch, "but I don't think you've seen the end or the worst of it."

"I know you're right," Dani said. "And that sucks."

"Danielle -- I'm here for you," Dukat told her. "We will get through this. Together." Dani looked at him, unsure. "We will," he insisted.

When Dani walked into Ops that morning, she had that feeling that everyone had been talking but had suddenly stopped when she'd stepped off the lift. She quietly and quickly made her way to her station. She logged in and began to review the sensor readings from the day before. She hadn't even been working ten minutes when Captain August Bunche stepped out of his office. "Ensign Janeway, could I see you in my office please?" he summoned.

Dani looked at Kira momentarily before making her way across the room to the Captain. She followed him into his office adjacent to Ops. She stood at attention until he instructed her to sit, which she did.

"Ensign," Bunche began, "I believe you know why I have called you here. It appears that your relationship with Dukat has become public knowledge, thereby making it official to some degree." Dani nodded, wondering where the captain was going with this.

Bunche continued. "I've known about this relationship for weeks, as has most of the station," he said, "but command is just now only hearing about it. This whole scenario makes them nervous, Ensign."

"Sir?" Dani said. She didn't quite understand what he meant. Nervous?

"Ensign, I received orders this morning to relieve you from your duties until further notice," Bunche revealed.

Dani couldn't believe her ears. "What?" she managed to say.

"Personally, Janeway, I think an officer's private life and what he or she does off-duty is his or her own business and does not necessarily have any bearing on that officer's on-duty performance. However, as I'm sure you're well aware, you are, by no means, just an average officer, and Dukat is...well, Dukat. Starfleet is afraid of a scandal, which is where this is headed." 'It's probably already

reached that point, Bunche thought, regretfully. "I'm sorry, Ensign," he said, and he truly was. This was a good officer, and she had the potential to be one of his best eventually. "I'm going to have to follow through on these orders," he informed her.

Dani couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd barely been on duty a couple of months, and already she was being suspended. This had to be some kind of record for the shortest time on duty before being relieved of duty. "Am I to be confined to quarters as well, sir?" she asked, making every effort to appear to be taking the news in stride.

"No, I don't believe that's necessary," Bunche said. "I do hope you understand Headquarters' reasoning behind this, Ensign."

"Yes, sir. I do."

Bunche nodded. "You're dismissed."

And so that was it, Dani thought. Her Starfleet career was probably over. She nodded to the captain and rose. She left the office and Ops without so much as even a glance at anyone on her way out. It wasn't because she was too embarrassed to look at them; it was because she was too mad.

The lift doors slid open, and Dani steamrolled through them and down the corridor toward her quarters. Once she entered her quarters, it was apparent to her that she wanted, needed to throw something, kick something, hit something. She would go to the gym and work off all the pint-up rage she was feeling.

How could headquarters dictate to her how she was supposed to live her life? Who were they to tell her who she was supposed to be romantically involved with?

She unzipped her uniform jacket and peeled it away from her body. It was then that the communications beacon on her terminal started to beep. She walked over to her desk and sat down at the computer. The comm, the screen showed, was from her parents. As she activated the message, hoped it was a recorded message and

not actually live, with someone on the other end. Immediately, an image of both Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay appeared on the screen.

"Dani," Kathryn said, "we were just about to give up on you."

'Damn,' Dani thought. 'If only I'd come in a few seconds later...'

"Yeah," Dani began, "Sorry about that. My shift in Ops just ended." She studied her parents' expressions. They weren't giving up anything. What did they know? "What's up?"

Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other and then back at Dani. "Dani," Kathryn began, "there have been some rumors floating around Starfleet. Very disturbing rumors. Concerning you and," Janeway swallowed, "Gul Dukat. I'm sure you had to have heard of them by now. They've been floating around now for about two

months."

So they had heard after all. "I have heard them," Dani replied.

"And I'm sure you've heard of the article on the news service concerning you this morning," Kathryn said.

Dani nodded. "Yes."

Kathryn continued. "Well, Sweetheart, we just wanted to hear your take on this. I mean, is this something that began as a prank or joke that spun out of control? Something like that? Or...it's just that we expected what people were saying to die out, but the stories keep coming, and the article this morning--"

"You want to know if it's true," Dani interjected.

"That's right," Chakotay said, speaking for the first time. "We want to know so we can put an end to these despicable lies. Tell us you're not involved with Dukat so we can stop this."

Dani's head hung. Her heart was beating like a mad drum. Her stomach was nothing more than a twisted knot.

"Honey, it's okay," Kathryn said. "We know that words hurt, but it's not the end of the world. It isn't--"

"They're not just words," Dani broke in. She rose her head and looked at her parents on the monitor. They were both speechless. They didn't know what they were hearing. "I can't tell you that I'm not involved with Dukat because I am. They're not just stories. That article on the Federation news wire is real. I did the interview with Jake Sisko yesterday. The things that people are saying...are true."

Dani watched her parents and waited for some kind of response, but they just sat there in silence for a few moments. She wanted to say something, but wasn't exactly sure that there was anything she could say that would make things any better. She opened her mouth to speak anyway, but before any words left her lips, her father suddenly reached over and angrily ended the transmission.

Dani was left staring at a blank screen. Tears welled up in Dani's eyes and didn't hesitate to fall down her cheeks. The worst had occurred. And Dani hadn't been prepared for it.

Dani rose from her desk. It was official, now. If her parents had heard, chances were, everyone had heard. Her worst fear had come true. Her parents had found out about her and Marac, and her father's reaction had been worse than she had expected. He hadn't said a word. She'd expected him to say something, even if it had been to just yell, but he hadn't said anything. Dani hadn't expected that.

She understood perfectly his reasoning for his actions, though, and she couldn't blame him. She understood what he believed. He just didn't understand what she believed.

Two and a half hours later, Dani, who'd previously left for the gym for a nice long workout, returned to her quarters. The intense regimen she'd embarked on had been successful in helping her alleviate some of the stress of the situation. It could not, however, get rid of the pain she felt as a result of being virtually disowned by her parents, or by her father, at least. When she thought about the sadness, the anger in her rose again. When the anger rose, she felt like punching something. This was the process that had manifested itself throughout her workout, which was why she'd continued for so long. She could never completely get rid of the feelings, and if there was any remnant of any feeling, the process started all over again. It was all so useless. What she really wanted to do was crawl into bed, burrow under the covers, and hide from the universe forever.

Dani sank down onto the couch and buried her head in her hands as the tears came. Her entire life was falling apart, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Well, there was one thing she could do, and doing it would probably get everyone off her back. But she couldn't go down that road. Not because everyone else dictated that she should.

The door chimed, and Dani's head sprung up. "Who is it?" she asked. She wasn't used to asking that. She usually just told whoever was out there to come on in. She didn't think it was such a good idea to be so open now. Whoever was on the other side of that door might wish she were dead or something.

"It's me -- Marac," Dani heard Dukat say from outside.

She almost breathed a sigh of relief. "Come in," she invited. She stood as Dukat entered.

"I thought we were meeting for lunch," Dukat said. "What happened?"

"I was relieved of duty this morning," Dani informed him.

"What?" Dukat asked, walking over to her.

"I went to Ops for my shift this morning, and the captain told me that he had been ordered, by Command, to relieve me of duty."

"Because of me?" Dukat asked. Dani nodded and reclaimed her seat on the sofa.

Dukat sank to the couch beside her. "I didn't realize such drastic steps would be taken," he admitted.

"Me either," Dani said.

"I can't see you any longer, Danielle," Dukat said suddenly.

Dani's head snapped around to face Dukat. "What?"

"Your whole world is falling apart all at the expense of me. Getting rid of me is the obvious solution to this conundrum."

Dani studied Dukat. He was right. It was the most obvious solution. But it wasn't the only solution. "I'd rather not do that," she told Dukat. Dani realized that she wouldn't be willing to put herself through all this drama if she simply cared for Dukat or merely liked him a lot. "I love you," she revealed.

Dukat looked at her. He couldn't believe his ears. Only a few days ago, she'd said that she couldn't say those words, that she couldn't tell him she loved him. But now she could?

"I realized," Dani began to explain, "that I wouldn't be letting myself go through all this if I didn't love you."

"Are you sure you aren't letting yourself go through all this merely to prove a point?" Dukat asked her.

"What point would that be? My whole life is a wreck. Everything I've ever worked for is slipping away. I know I'm stubborn, but I don't think I would go so far as to risk everything just to prove someone wrong." Dani stood and turned to face the viewports. "I just wish I could get away from this all."

Dukat stood and joined her at the viewport. "I have to go away to Cardasssia IV for business in a few days," he told her. "I'd like you to come with me." She turned and looked up at him as he continued. "I could arrange for my ship to leave early, perhaps as early as tonight, if you wish." Dani returned her attention to the viewport, as placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered into her ear, "I can take you away from all this, if only for a little while, a

few days. We'll go somewhere where we'll be completely secluded, away from everything that's troubling you. Danielle, come with me."

Dani turned and looked up at him again. "Can we really leave tonight?"


	7. Chapter 7

/\

On the U.S.S. Enterprise...

Will sat in his quarters staring thoughtfully at a still image of Dani on his computer console. He activated the program, and Dani came to life on the screen.

The program was a collection of video clips of Dani that had been filmed at various times during her and Will's relationship. The first clip was filmed at a Christmas party from the previous year. Someone, from a distance, had filmed them dancing together. They had later gotten in close, and Will and Dani had been made aware of the camera.

Will stared at his own smiling face and watched Dani as she smiled and tried to avoid the camera by maneuvering the slow dance so that her back was to the camera. Will wouldn't let her, and she would end up back on camera again...

"I want a copy of that, Geordi," Will said as Geordi moved with the camera to another couple.

"You got it, Commander," Geordi said.

Will turned his attention back to Dani.

"You don't want a copy of that so that you can show it around to other people, do you?" Dani asked.

"Of course not," Will said. "Why would I want to show it around? You're only the most beautiful woman here." He bent down and kissed her quickly.

"Will--you can't," Dani protested. "I'll be so embarassed. Please don't."

"I won't if you don't want me to."

"I don't want you to."

"It's just for us, then," Will conceded.

Will had to laugh at that memory. For someone who was always in the spotlight, Dani hated the camera. The next clip featured Dani and her family's golden retriever rolling around on the ground playfully. Laughing, Dani got on her knees and sent the dog in the direction of the camera and it's operator, Will. The dog jumped Will, who dropped the camera and lost the picture.

"Is it damaged?" Dani asked running over to the grounded Will.

The dog was still standing on top of him, licking his face. "No, I don't think so," he said between licks.

"Molly, get!" Dani commanded the dog. "Get!" The dog obediently hopped off of Will's chest. Will sat up, and Dani knelt beside him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Will said.

"Sorry. I didn't think she'd jump you like that. I guess she likes you just as much as I do."

"She's cute, but I prefer you."

Smiling, Dani stood and held her hand out for Will. He took it, and pulled himself to his feet.

Will was laughing when the next clip began with an overhead image of a sleeping Dani. She opened her eyes to the camera. For a long time, she didn't say anything. She just stared into the camera.

"Why don't you put the camera away, and come back to bed?" Dani asked.

"I want to get as much of you on video as possible," Will said.

Dani propped herself up on her elbow and rested her head on the palm of her hand.

Will stared back at her. To him, she looked like an angel, wrapped in nothing but the sheer, white bedsheets.

"Why, when you've got me here in person?" video Dani asked.

"It's for whenever I don't have you in person," Will answered from behind the camera.

Will's vision became blurry. As he stared at Dani's beautiful image on the screen, it became larger and clearer as the camera slowly zoomed in on her.

"That'll never be," video Dani replied.

Will's door chimed, and he promptly froze the image of Dani and wiped his eyes dry.

He cleared his throat. "Come in," he called.

The doors slid open, and Deanna Troi walked in. Will thought of trying to close his mind, but he knew that Deanna had sensed what he was feeling before he even knew she was close.

"I'm sorry," Deanna said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No," Will said, hastily wiping his eyes. "Come on in." Deanna stepped into Will's office. "What can I do for you?"

"I think I should be the one asking you that question," Deanna said, taking one of the chairs in front of Will's desk.

"You don't have to ask," Will said. He lowered his eyes. "I miss her." He turned the console so that Deanna could see Dani's image. "It's been two months, and I still feel like I can't live without her. I'm miserable."

Deanna continued to listen.

"I miss everything about her. I miss the way she used to smile at me. I miss the feel of her arms around me." He laughed. "I even miss the way we used to squabble with each other." He sighed. "Now, she's with...Dukat." He'd had trouble saying the name. "I can't believe it. I lost Dani to Dukat." He looked at Deanna.

"Dani's purpose for being with Dukat could possibly be her way of getting over her relationship with you," Deanna offered.

"You're saying she could be doing this to get back at me? Retaliation?" That was a hard pill for Will to swallow. Dani had never been the kind of person who would resort to spite for the purpose of intentionally hurting someone.

"No, not necessarily," Deanna corrected. "This could be her way of dealing with your break-up."

A small ray of hope presented itself to Will. "So, this thing with Dukat could just be temporary?"

Deanna sensed the mental leap of joy that Will did. She wanted him to be happy, but she also didn't want to instill him with any kind of false hope. "Maybe; maybe not." She sensed his temporary sense of elations fall when she told him that. She hated to be the slasher of dreams, but it was better to live with the truth that live with a false sense of security only to have it taken away some time down the road.

Will sighed and leaned forward resting his elbows on his desk. He brought his hands to his forehead. "I don't know how I'm going to deal with this."

"I think that maybe this is going to take some time. As you've probably already realized, this isn't something you're going to be able to get over overnight."

"I know. I just need to think."

Deanna stood. "Well, let me know if you need someone to think with."

Will nodded. "Thanks, De." She nodded and gave him an encouraging smile before departing.

Will let out a deep breath again and leaned back in his seat, resting his head against the back. All of this was his fault, he knew. If he hadn't lost his temper...he'd known that Dani would never cheat on him, but he'd let himself be suckered in by mere rumors. If he hadn't let his mouth run without thinking, Dani would be his fiancee, and they'd be making plans for their wedding right now.

He'd told Dani that embarking on a relationship with her had been a

mistake. That was wrong. The mistake had been made by him. And it had been one of the biggest mistakes he'd ever made in his life, it being along the same magnitude as the mistake he'd made by putting his relationship with Deanna on hold all those years ago. So many mistakes...well, this was one he planned to rectify, if ever he got the chance. He didn't know how it would happen, but if he ever got another chance with Dani again, he was going to set the situation straight with her, make things right again. If ever he got the chance...


	8. Chapter 8

/\

Dani carefully stepped over a large rock, placing her hand on a nearby tree for balance and support. A few more steps, and she was at a more level clearing. She looked up from the ground and witnessed one of the most beautiful sites she'd ever seen. Merely a few feet away was a massive waterfall that emptied into a crystal clear lagoon below. She turned to Dukat, who was coming up behind her.

"This is absolutely beautiful," she told him.

"It's one of my favorite places," Dukat said. He was speaking of Cardassia IV, where he and Dani had been for the last two days. Six hours after their conversation on DS9, they had been on Dukat's ship on their way away from the station. Now, they were reveling in the new-found freedom of finally being able to do what they wanted without any regard as to who may be watching or what might be said about them as a result. They were alone.

Dani turned back to the view of the waterfall. "Is there a name for it?" she asked.

Dukat replied with something in Cadassi that didn't translate via the universal translator. "What was that?" Dani asked him. Dukat repeated himself, and Dani still didn't understand it. She concluded that it was a word not programmed into the UT system. Dani repeated the word softly to herself.

"What does it mean?" she asked him.

"It means 'endless fall'," Dukat informed her.

"Endless fall?" Dani repeated.

"Yes. See how the water appears to fall through the surface of the water and continue falling down to the bottom of the lagoon?" Dukat pointed out to her.

Dani peered over into the lagoon as far as she could from her and Dukat's vantage point. It did appear that the water broke the surface and continued falling.

"How is that possible?" Dani asked.

"No one really knows for sure," Dukat replied. "There are many theories. One of the most popular is that it only occurs when an especially magnetic person is in the vicinity." Dani's eyes travelled away from the water and met Dukat's. "I'm telling you the truth," Dukat insisted.

Dani turned back to the waterfall, deciding to advance toward it. Dukat followed her, curiosity brewing concerning her intentions. He followed as she moved closer and closer to the water.

Standing near the water's edge, Dani finally returned her gaze to Dukat and asked, "This stuff isn't toxic or anything, is it?"

"You could drink it, if you wanted," was Dukat's reply.

Dani nodded, Dukat's answer being enough permission for her. She sat down on a large boulder and removed the hiking boots and socks that she'd put on that morning. Placing them to the side, she tentatively dipped her right foot into the shallow pool of water. Like everything else Cardassian, it was quite warm for a natural water source -- but not unbearably so. Satisfied that she wouldn't be the victim of some type of temperature shock, she stepped into the water, planting both feet firmly on the smooth, stony bottom.

"What are you doing?" Dukat asked her.

"Wading," Dani said.

"Why?"

"Plenty of reasons -- it's hot here, wading is fun, the water feels good. And perhaps the most valid reason of all: I was curious."

"About what? Whether Cardassian water feels any different than Terran water?"

"I suppose. But not specifically." Dani kicked at the water. "Haven't you ever merely been curious about something for the sake of being curious. Like you just wanted to know more about something just for the sake of knowing? Like you didn't always have this agenda to follow?"

"Truthfully -- yes."

This answer both surprised Dani but didn't at the same time. She waited for Dukat to explain.

"There have been instances when I've wanted to find out more than was warranted about a subject," Dukat said. "However, various factors, whether they be orders or time constraints, have seriously limited my ability to carry out basic research. That coupled with the fact that I am not a scientist."

"You don't have to be a scientist to be curious about things," Dani said. She'd known, from her initial conversations with the man that there was more to him than the astute military officer he had always appeared to be. The man had a soul. And he'd shown it to her over the past few months.

Dani had been walking away from Dukat, her back to him, but now she turned back to him and began the process of unbuttoning her her white, button-down shirt. She began to cross the water to his current position. She shed the shirt and tossed it to the dry water's edge, moving on to her khaki hiking shorts. She carefully stepped out of them and also tossed them to dry land. Next, she quickly discarded her undergarments, abandoning them on the rocks just ahead of her and approached Dukat in the nude.

"What are you doing?" Dukat asked Dani, his breath a little ragged.

"Exploring," was Dani's answer. She urged him to remove the pack he was carrying, which contained any items they might need for the day. He did so, allowing it to fall gently to the ground. Dani began to remove Dukat's clothing, following the same process she'd used to discard her own clothes. Within a matter of minutes, he was in the same state as she. She took his hand and gently pulled him into the water with her. "I take it you don't do this very often," Dani speculated.

"No, I don't," Dukat said.

"Well, that makes two of us," Dani said, kissing him. She led him toward the waterfall, where they walked through the falling curtains of water and ended up behind the water. Dukat marveled at the sight of a wet Dani. A thought came to him that made him chuckle.

"What?" Dani asked.

"I was just thinking," Dukat began. "We're probably the first to do this."

"Why do you say that?"

"No Cardassian woman would ever do anything like this."

Dani smiled and looked out at the view from behind the shimmering waterfall. It was an amazing sight. Everything looked like a water painting. Dukat turned to Dani and kissed her again deeply.

Dani looked up at the night sky from Cardassia IV. It was a clear night, and the stars were absolutely breathtaking. That was one of the reasons she'd wanted to join Starfleet, because she wanted to be up there, among the stars. Now, that dream might have slipped away. She looked down at her cup of red leaf tea, which Dukat had made using the old-fashioned method of boiling. It was good, as it had always been when it had been replicated, but she just wasn't in the mood for it now. She'd taken a few sips, but not many more beyond that. Her eyes rose to the small fire they'd started. The flames danced back and forth, every now and then flickering because of a stray gust of wind.

"Tell me, Danielle--" Dukat began. Dani turned her body and saw that he was emerging from their little tent. He was carrying a bottle and two glasses. "Have you ever had kanaar before?" he asked her.

Dani's mind immediately wandered back to the first time she'd had kanaar, back when she was at the Academy. It'd been the night her and her friends had gone camping after their first completed semester. "Yes," Dani said answering Dukat's question. "While I was at the Academy."

"During some drinking escapade, no doubt," Dukat said disdainfully, as he sat down beside Dani.

Dani looked at him disapprovingly. He was right, but why did he have to automatically jump to that conclusion first? "You're right," Dani conceded. "I had friends who would drink it right along with Romulan ale and Saurian brandy for the sole purpose of getting drunk."

"And you?" Dukat asked.

"I rarely ever got drunk, if that's what you mean. I wasn't particularly fond of that hungover sensation that accompanied it the morning after."

"So, you've never really...experienced kanaar before?"

"No. I didn't know there was anything to experience." Dani was still holding her cup of red leaf tea. She was about to take a drink of it, but Dukat stopped her.

He took her cup and handed her a glass of something, a clear liquid that resembled water. "What's this?" Dani asked as she took a sip of the liquid that filled the volume of the glass. Her tongue immediately recoiled. The drink was desperately bitter.

"It cleanses the palate," Dukat said, as he took a sip from the same glass as Dani. Dani figured that he must be used to the taste because he didn't flinch as the liquid flowed over his tongue. "That way, the experience is more fulfilling."

Dani kept wondering just what this experience Dukat kept mentioning was. A drink was a drink was a drink. And it was either good or bad. And from what she remembered, kanaar had been a very bad one.

"Close your eyes," Dukat instructed.

Dani wanted to ask 'why', but didn't. She sighed and closed her eyes anyway.

Dukat took her hand and placed a kanaar-filled glass in it. "Smell it," Dukat said.

Dani lifted the glass to her nose and let the scent invade her nostrils. "Smells spicy," she said.

"Good," Dukat praised. He moved closer to Dani. "Now--drink."

Her eyes still closed, Dani brought the glass to her lips and drank. Dani had tasted kanaar before, but it had never tasted like this before. Like Dukat said, Dani had never experienced kanaar before. It had a very distinct taste and caused a...peculiar feeling. The moment she swallowed, she felt an immediate sensation equivalent to what she would call a buzz. As the buzz wore off, it left a warm feeling throughout her body. She opened her eyes.

"What do you think?" Dukat asked. He took a drink from his own glass of kanaar.

"That's amazing," Dani said, looking down into the glass. "I've never tasted anything like it. I've had kanaar before, but why hasn't it ever tasted like this before?"

"Your palate wasn't pure then," Dukat explained. "Tonight, it was. And you probably didn't have high quality kanaar before."

"Is drinking kanaar always such a ritual?" Dani asked, changing her sitting position slightly. One of her feet had started to fall asleep, so she moved it out from under her. In the process she inched a little closer to Dukat.

"Not for everyone. Some chug it like the common beer," Dukat said with a disgusted grimace. "But they have no true appreciation for the beauty of a good bottle of kanaar." He drank some more from his glass.

"You're a man who appreciates beauty," Dani observed.

"Yes. And as a result, people often take me and individuals like me for vain and shallow. We're not."

"I know," Dani said. She was guilty of that herself, especially concerning Dukat. If she'd learned anything from him and from their relationship, it was that you really didn't know someone until you actually talked to them and got to know them. Her skeptical side told her that even sitting down and getting to know someone didn't guarantee you would get the truth, but it was better than making assumptions from afar.

She studied him. His appearance in the firelight was striking. The flames seemed to make his blue eyes dance even more than they normally did. Dani placed her hand on Dukat's face and began to trace his ridges with her fingers. "You fascinate me," she said. "I'm intrigued by you. I never know what you're thinking or what you're going to say next, yet, somehow, it's like I know what you're feeling."

Dukat's face inched closer to Dani's, and he kissed her, long and thoroughly.

Dani realized after a while that she was still holding her glass of kanaar. She'd wanted to continue to drink it, but she didn't think she needed it anymore. At least not for the buzz. Dukat was giving her enough of one with just his kiss. She was so far gone that she almost didn't hear the phaser blasts sound in the distance. She pulled away from Dukat, startled. She looked at him, alarmed.

"I thought you said we'd be alone here?" she said.

"We're supposed to be. No one ever comes here," Dukat said, curiosity and anger brewing because some idiot playing with a phaser had interrupted his evening with Dani. "Unfortunately, I don'te own the planet and have no say over who comes and goes." He listened to the sounds of the phaser blasts. They sounded like they were getting closer. He looked at Dani. He knew she had to be thinking along the same lines.

Jumping into action, Dukat stood stood and extinguished their small fire with some of their water. He realized it wasn't a cure-all because the smoke from the extinction of the fire would still be an indicator of their location. But, he resolved, it was better than the light a fire emitted.

He sat back down beside Dani, and they both watched for any sign of anything coming from any direction. All of a sudden, as suddenly as they'd first been heard by the Cardassian and the human, the phaser fire ceased. Dani and Dukat looked at each other puzzled. Maybe it was over.

Before either of them had the chance to think anything else or do anything, a Klingon emerged from the darkness. Both Dani and Dukat, though obviously taken by surprise, stood slowly, cautiously, calmly, so as not to provoke the interloper. Dukat slowly positioned himself so that he was in between the warrior and Dani, and saw that another Klingon was approaching from the opposite direction of the first. He immediately realized the situation for what it was.

These two men were not a pair of innocent, lost travelers. Dukat did his best to completely block Dani from the men with his own body.

Dani appreciated the chivilrous gesture, but if they wanted any kind of chance of getting out of this alive, she would have to fight by his side. As they Klingons moved in on the couple, and it became more obvious that they would attack, Dani stepped out from behind Dukat. They looked at each other with mutual understanding and each turned to a Klingon.

The attack came swiftly, as expected with this particular foe, but Dani and Dukat each held their own. Dani took a hit to the face, but recovered from it quickly enough to deflect another blow and deliver one to the Klingon's neck.

Dukat was having an even tougher time. His Klingon had a deadly batleth, and he was not shy with it. Dukat ducked out of the path of the swiping weapon. He grabbed the Klingon by the waist and rammed him into a nearby tree with as much force as he could muster. The act only served to momentarily stun the Klingon.

He quickly recovered and caught Dukat in the side with the handle of the batleth. Dukat fell to his knees. There was no blood, but it hurt like hell. Before the would-be assassin could deliver a final blow, Dukat punched him in the knee, causing the assailant to abandon the grip on the batleth for his painful knee.

Dukat took advantage of the situation and picked up the batleth.

Dani, growling, ran her Klingon into a tree, as well. The move, however, had less of an effect than Dukat's move had. The Klingon whipped out a dagger, dug it into Dani's side, and pulled it out. Dani looked down at the gaping wound, shocked that she had actually been stabbed, and touched it. When she brought her hand back, it was covered with blood. She looked at her attacker, who was now sneaking up behind Dukat. Dukat had just incapacitated his attacker. He hadn't killed him; he'd only disabled him by knocking him unconscious with the batleth.

"Marac!" Dani cried out with her fleeing strength. She fell to her knees and grimaced as a wave of pain passed through her body.

Dukat turned in time to see the Klingon in a position to strike. Dukat swung the batleth at the attacker. The blade caught him in the side and was firmly planted there. The Klingon's eyes went wide as the dagger slipped from his fingers. He grabbed for the batleth, but didn't succeed before life left him and he collapsed on the ground.

Dukat turned to see that Dani had also collapsed on the ground, but she wasn't dead. At least he hoped she wasn't. He was at her side in an instant. He examined the wound. There was a lot of bleeding, and it looked bad. He felt for a pulse and was relieved to find one. It was weak but, nonetheless, present. He scooped her up into his arms, quickly, but carefully. While he wanted to get her out of here as soon as possible, their shuttle was a good distance away, and he

didn't know if there were anymore attackers in the vicinity. He moved to retrieve his comm unit from the tent but soon came to realize that it was the little device currently in pieces on the ground. It must've been damaged during the fight. And he didn't have a spare. Damn!

"Marac," Dani said weakly into Dukat's ear.

"I'm here," Dukat said. "I'm right here." Whatever he decided to do, he had to do it quickly. Danielle wasn't going to last much longer. He would just have make is way to the shuttle, he decided, and deal with any Klingons he encountered when he encountered them. It was the only option. "Danielle," he said. "Stay with me. We're almost there." He started to move as fast as he could, with what he assessed to be a broken rib or two, in the direction of the shuttle. After about a minute or so, he realized that he should stop and plug

Dani's wound, as it was bleeding profusely. The very fact that he'd overlooked this one simple tactic reminded him of why he hadn't been fit to be a field medic or emergency worker.

Dukat stopped and carefully laid Dani on the ground. He pulled up her shirt. Her very life was draining from her through this wound. He pulled off his white linen shirt and tied it snugly around Dani's waist, making sure to position the large knot he'd formed over the stab wound. He felt once again for a pulse. It was weaker than it had been when he'd checked earlier. They had to get moving again.

He moved to pick her up but froze when three Klingons appeared. They appeared ready to attack, as the other two had. They were closing in on him, and there was nothing Dukat could do. He didn't want to believe that this was the end, but it certainly looked that way. In one final attempt to protect Dani as much as he could, he covered her body with his, closed his eyes, and prepared for the death blow he knew was coming.

But instead of feeling the sharp bite of a batleth or dagger, he felt the familiar sensation of a transporter beam. Was this what death felt like? Being transported? It wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be. When the tingling sensation had subsided, he opened his eyes and realized that he wasn't dead. He'd been transported to a sickbay. But whose sickbay? At the moment, he didn't care. He just wanted someone, anyone to help Dani.

When someone carelessly shoved Dukat out of the way to get access to Dani, instead of being angry, he was grateful that someone was finally helping her. He was at her side, and he looked scared as hell.

"What happened?" the doctor, a Cardassian, asked, as he walked around to the other side of Dani. He stood across from Dukat.

"We were attacked," Dukat explained.

The doctor scanned Dani's wound with a medical tricorder. "By whom?" he asked.

"Two Klingons," Dukat replied. The doctor silently absorbed the fact while continuing to tend to Dani. Dukat looked on eagerly, wishing the doctor would reveal something about Dani's condition.

The doctor looked down at his patient. She had various other minor injuries, such as bruises and scrapes, but he'd tend to those later. Right now, he had to get this woman's life out of danger. He had managed to stop the bleeding. Now he had to close the wound and make sure infection didn't ensue.

A medic approached Dukat, with the intention of treating him for his own injuries, but he wouldn't have it. He had to be assured that Dani would be okay.

"She will be all right, won't she, Doctor?" Dukat asked.

"She'll be fine," the doctor assured him. "She lost a lot of blood, and she'll be a little weak for a few days, but yes, she will be just fine. Now, it's your turn to be examined." He passed the medical scanner over Dukat. "You have a mild concussion, two cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, and an array of minor contusions and lacerations."

He snapped the tricorder shut. "You took quite a beating, as well. Come and lie down on the table." Dukat looked at Dani and reluctantly followed the doctor to a bed.

The next morning, when Dani awoke, it took her a brief moment to remember what had happened the night before. She looked around the room. It didn't look at all familiar. Where was she?

"Ma--" she began, but it turned into a cough.

The Cardassian doctor who'd treated her was standing across the room at a console. He turned around when he heard the cough and saw that his patient was awake. He walked over to her bedside.

"Marac," Dani managed weakly. "Where is he? Is he alright?"

"He's on the next bed over," the doctor said. "He's sleeping."

"He's okay?"

"Yes. He suffered a mild concussion and a few broken ribs, but he's fine. Would you like me to wake him for you?"

"No. Let him sleep."

The doctor nodded. "My name is Dr. Sarat," he said finally introducing himself. "You're in the sickbay onboard a Cardassian science vessel."

Dani was utterly confused. The last thing she remembered was being attacked by two big, burly Klingons, and now she was onboard a Cardassian ship? "What happened?" she asked.

Sarat proceeded to relay the story of her and Dukat's rescue and arrival to the ship. "You're going to be all right," Sarat said reaching the conclusion of the tale. "You suffered a severe laceration to the abdomen, but I've repaired it. It doesn't look like there will be any permanent damage, but you lost a lot of blood. I'd like to keep you in sickbay today for observation."

Dani nodded. This was all a lot of information to digest. Someone had been trying to kill her and Dukat. Dani imagined there must be a lot of people who'd like to get their hands around his neck, but she never thought that they would actually try to kill him. That thought had never entered her mind.

Sarat decided that the time had come to let Dani be alone with her thoughts. "If you have any problems or questions, let me or any of the other medics around here know, and we'll take care of you," he said.

Dani, again, nodded. "Thank you, Doctor," she said. Sarat gave her a little smile and left her.

The next morning, Dukat was at Dani's bedside, holding her hand, watching her intently for any change in her condition, no matter how minute. Dr. Sarat had cleared him for release from sickbay earlier that morning, but Dukat was determined not to leave her alone if he could help it. It was his fault this had happened to her. She'd been injured trying to protect him. She'd almost died because of him.

The perpetrators of this crime would not go unpunished, Dukat resolved. He would personally see to it that those responsible would pay for what they'd done.

"How is she?"

Dukat whirled around in time to see a uniformed Cardassian enter. The rank insignia on his uniform indicated that he was a gul, probably the commander of this vessel. Out of respect, Dukat stood, as the man approached the bed. "She's going to be fine," Dukat said, answering the man's inquiry.

"Good," said the gul.

"Gul," Dukat began. "I'd just like to extend my sincerest gratitude to you and the good members of your crew. You've saved our lives, and I don't even want to imagine our fates had you not intervened."

The gul seemed openly annoyed by Dukat and kept his eyes trained on the sleeping patient. "If you really want to know the truth of it," the gul began, "the only reason I picked you up was because of the Starfleet officer. We have a treaty with the Federation, and I can't have the problem of one of their officers being injured or killed on one Cardassia's planets. If you'd been alone," he raised his eyes to Dukat, "I doubt I would have even stopped. I would've been content

to have left you to your own devices with the Klingons." He cast a final, softer glance in Dani's direction before turning and walking out of the room.

Dukat looked at the closed doors, fuming. How had it come to this, that his position, his status among his own people, had become so low that they wouldn't think twice about leaving him to die.

The groan that came from Dani's direction broke into his thoughts. He returned his attention to her to find that she was stirring. He once again took her hand in his.

Dani opened her eyes and realized that Dukat was awake and he was sitting beside her bed holding her hand. "Marac," she said.

"I'm here," he said. "Do you need something?"

"No," Dani said, shaking her head.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," Dukat apologized.

"It happened to you, too, Marac," Dani reminded him.

"It happened because of me. It was an attempt on my life," he said. "And it probably won't be the last time," Dukat said gravely. Dani looked at Dukat. The whole prospect scared her, but she knew he was probably right. "One day," Dukat continued, "someone is going to succeed."

Dani raised her hand to touch Dukat's face. "Don't think like that," she said. "Please. Maybe this was an isolated incident."

Dukat covered Dani's hand with his own. This had been no isolated incident. Last night hadn't been the first attempt on his life. People had been trying to kill him for years. On five different occassions, someone had tried to kill him.

But he didn't want Dani to be bothered with all that at the moment. "Why don't you get some rest?" he suggested. "You've got to get your strength back."

To Dani, it seemed that Dukat had something on his mind, something heavy. But she was tired, and if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't pursue it.

She closed her eyes and let the soothing motion of Dukat stroking her hair lull her to sleep.

The next day, Dani sat on the biobed in the Cardassian ship's sickbay, waiting patiently as Sarat examined her, checking the progress of her healing wound.

"Could you lie down, please?" Sarat requested. Dani promptly reclined onto the biobed, as the doctor had asked. He was a nice, gentle man, something Dani hadn't expected from a Cardassian. She concluded that kindness must be a trait inherent in all physicians -- all those except for maybe Klingon doctors. She couldn't quite equate gentleness with any Klingon.

The doctor examined the wound area, which had, only 48 hours ago, been a mess. Now, only a small scar existed where there had once been a bloody mess. And even that would go away after the final stages of treatment.

"Your wound is healing very nicely," Sarat commented, passing a medical tricorder over the area. Dani smiled and glanced over at Dukat, who was standing off to the side, out of Sarat's way.

Once Sarat was finished with the exam, he said, "You can sit up, now." Dani rose to a sitting position on the bed. "I'm projecting a full recovery in a matter of days."

"Really?" Dani asked. She hadn't expected she would heal so soon.

"If you were an officer on this ship, I'd clear you for limited duty."

"Wow," Dani said. "Thanks."

Sarat gave her a nod and a smile before leaving. Dukat walked over and joined Dani at the bed when the doctor left the room.

"I never guessed it would be such a quick recovery," Dani said.

"You wouldn't have to be going through any kind of recovery if it hadn't been for me," Dukat said, still very guilt-ridded.

Dani sighed. "Marac, we've been through this. This is not your fault." She wanted to convince him of that fact, but she knew it was useless. He wasn't going to subscribe to the notion, and they would only end up going in circles. "Let's just try to put this behind us, and move on, okay?"

Dukat nodded. "As you wish," he said. He picked up her hand and kissed it before bending down and kissing her lips. The kiss was interrupted by a heavy shudder caused by the impact of something on the ship.

Dukat broke from Dani as the lights dimmed and ship's alarms began to sound. "We've been hit by something," he said, stating the obvious. He helped Dani down from the bed just as the ship was rocked a second time by another impact. The couple was almost thrown to the deck, but Dukat quickly regained his balance and kept both himself and Dani from falling. "Come on," he said, holding on to her hand and heading for the sickbay's exit.

When the doors slid open, Dukat and Dani realized that their path was blocked by two Romulans with disruptors aimed directly at them.

"You will come with us, or face the consequences," one Romulan said.

Dani and Dukat looked at each other. Some vacation this was turning out to be. First, someone had tried to kill them, now they were being abducted by Romulans.

How much worse could it get?

"Captain, we've got an incoming message from the Defiant."

Captain Jean-Luc Picard turned in his seat on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise to look at the officer who'd just spoken and then at Will Riker on his right. The Defiant? Perhaps it was just a greeting. "On screen," Picard ordered.

Colonel Kira Nerys's face filled the viewscreen. "Captain Picard," she said.

"Colonel," Picard greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"We have a situation," Kira began. "And we could use your help."

Picard looked at Will. The colonel looked gravely serious. Whatever was going on must be a matter of great importance, or she wouldn't have enlisted the help of the Enterprise. He returned his gaze to the viewscreen. "Very well," he said. "Beam over, and we shall discuss the situation."

Dani refused to believe that there was no way out of this cell besides through the path currently blocked by the forcefield. She knelt in front of the cell's entrance, studying the forcefield emitters.

Dukat lay on the meager cot in the dark cell they'd been placed in aboard a Romulan warbird. "I don't mean to sound pessimistic," he began, "but there is no way out of here."

Dani stood, giving up on the forcefield. Dukat was right, even though she didn't want to believe it. This cell was officially escape-proof. She walked over and sat sullenly on the cot. She had a heavy sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew she was trouble, and she couldn't think of a way out of it.

Dukat sat up and brought his feet to the deck. He placed his hands on her shoulders and told her, "Everything will be alright."

Dani wanted to believe him, but at the moment, it sure didn't look like everything would be fine.

"Believe me," Dukat continued, "I've gotten out of worse situations than this."

Dani turned and looked at up at him. His eyes had a calming effect, which she eagerly welcomed. "Why don't we lie down? I don't want you tiring yourself," Dukat said.

Dani reclined with Dukat onto the bed. "I don't understand what they could want with us," Dani pondered aloud.

Dukat looked up at the ceiling as he thought of the real reason for their current state of captivity. The Romulans probably wanted Dukat, not Dani. "I wouldn't worry about it," he said. "There's probably been some kind of mistake." He was trying to convince Dani not to worry while he himself had every reason to worry. "All we have to do is bide our time, and opportunity shall present itself."

Dani nestled herself closer to Dukat. He seemed so calm, and it was comforting to her. She let her body relax against him and closed her eyes. When she did that, it felt just like they were in his bed in his quarters on the station, when things weren't perfect, but definitely preferable to now.

"I love you, Danielle," Dukat said.

"I love you, too, Marac," Dani said.

Dukat wished he could tell her that he never let anyone get to her, never let anyone touch her. But he couldn't promise that. That had been proven when the Klingons had attacked them. He would do everything in his power to protect her, though. Her and Ziyal. And if he ever got the chance, he would have revenge against those who'd wronged them. Isn't that what anyone would want? Isn't that what Danielle would want?

"Danielle?" he said quietly. He looked down at her. She'd fallen asleep already.

'She must be exhausted,' Dukat thought. And understandably so. She'd been through a lot over the past few days. Being stabbed tended to take a lot out of a person.

He looked up at the ceiling. 'Would she really want revenge?' Dukat pondered. He looked down at the sleeping Dani again. She was such a caring, giving individual. She was good. Unlike him. He remembered that Kira had once referred to him as pure evil. Someone like himself would want revenge. But Danielle, he concluded, wouldn't.

What the hell was she doing with him? She was possibly throwing away her career, her life as she knew. For him. By choice.

For what?

The streak of wetness he found on his cheek when he brought his hand up to it surprised him. When had that happened? He looked up at the ceiling. Was there a leak somewhere? It took a moment for him to register the fact that he was weeping. He hadn't recognized the sensation, it'd been so long since it had happened to him. The last time had been when he'd found Naprem's grave site and had been reunited with Ziyal. He'd known, for a while before finding it, that she was probably dead, but it'd been the closure associated with actually finding the grave, of knowing that she was gone, that had gotten to him.

Dukat looked down at Dani, yet again. All the pain he'd caused her by being a presence in her life -- he would make it up to her. He didn't know how, but he would.

The sound of a rifle butt making contact with a body was what awoke Dani from her slumber. She opened her eyes to the sight of Dukat curled into a ball, grimacing in apparent pain.

"Marac?" Dani said.

"Get up, now!" a Romulan guard barked. Dani looked up from Dukat and saw that two were in the cell with them.

Dukat had been in the process of sitting up when the guard hit him a second time with the gun, this time on the side of the face, drawing blood.

"Marac!" Dani screamed. She looked up at the guard. "What's the matter with you?!"

"Quiet!" the guard ordered, moving to strike Dani with his bare hand. Dukat interjected, taking hold of the guard's wrist.

"Leave her alone," he rasped. "Don't touch her."

The guard shook free from Dukat's grip. "On your feet!" he ordered the Cardassian. Dukat gained his composure and stood, wiping the corner of his mouth as he did so. He looked at his fingers. He was bleeding.

Dani moved to stand, but the other guard, training a disruptor on her, ordered her to be still where she was on the cot.

"Move," the first guard ordered Dukat.

"No, wait -- where are you going? Where are you taking him?" Dani asked frantically.

"It is none of your concern," the second guard replied. He looked at Dukat. "Now, you -- move!"

Marac Dukat looked at Dani before he complied with the Romulans' order, then stared straight ahead as he carried it out. He cast one more glance in Dani's direction when he reached the cell's entrance, desiring just one final view of her beautiful features. Dukat knew he probably wouldn't be seeing the inside of that cell again. He pulled himself up and stood tall, holding his head high. He wanted Dani's final memory of him to be one of dignity. Finally he exited the cell marched forward at the guards' urging.

Once the guards reactivated the cell's forcefield, Dani was up and standing at it in an instant. She could still hear the sound of the guards' and Dukat's footfalls. They were still close. Suddenly, they stopped.

"Inside," she heard one of the guard's direct. A few more footfall's followed. Then she heard the guard say something else. "Marac Dukat, you have been charged, tried, and convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors by the Romulan Star Empire," Dani heard him say. "I hearby sentence you to death by firing squad."

Dani took in a sharp breath. Death? Dani listened again. She heard the sound of disruptor fire, she couldn't tell how many shots, and the distinctive sound of a body hitting the floor. And that's when she lost it.

"Marac?" she said aloud. "Marac!" She touched the force field. It was secure. There was no way she was getting to him. The tears came freely and plentifully.

Dani called his name again. "Oh, my gods. Oh, my gods!" She touched the force field in vain, again. "No. Marac!" She slid down the wall, sobbing. "No."

It was all so quick. Less than ten minutes ago, she'd been on that cot across the room, lying in his arms. And now he was dead. It didn't make any sense.

The sound of more disruptor fire broke into Dani's thoughts. She immediately got to her feet. "Get away from the entrance!" she heard someone yell. Dani quickly backed away from the force field. A small explosion disabled the field emitters and a figure dressed completely in black from head to toe entered. Even the face was covered, saving two little holes for the eyes. "Come on!" he said.

Dani hesitated a bit. Who was this, and where were they going to take her?

The man picked up on her hesitation. "I'm Starfleet," he explained. "We're getting you out of here. Now, come on."

Dani glanced at the man's rifle and realized that it was a Starfleet-issue weapon. She walked out of the cell and found another similarly dressed figure in the corridor.

Dani turned to the direction she'd seen Dukat and the Romulans walk. She wanted to go see for herself, make sure...

"This way," the figure, a woman, who'd stood guard in the corridor said. She led her in the opposite direction from the way she wanted to go. Dani let the rescuers guide her down the corridor to an apparently predetermined point, but was constantly looking back down the corridor. Maybe, just maybe, she thought, he would come striding out of that cell in his usual, arrogant manner. If she could just see him do that, she knew everything would be okay. She looked, but he never came. He never came.

Once they stopped walking, the man pulled out a comm badge. He grabbed Dani's hand and then opened a comm link. "Bring us in," he said. Dani saw her surroundings disappear around her and be replaced by a transporter pad. She didn't know what ship she was on, but she was happy to see that the transporter tech was wearing a Starfleet-issue uniform. Before she could even step off the platform, Julian Bashir was at her side, scanning her for injuries. She looked beyond Bashir at the opening transporter room doors. To her surprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard entered with Captain Bunche. What was Captain Picard doing here?

Dani turned around to have a look at her rescuers. The woman pulled off her cap. It was Colonel Kira.

"Colonel?" Dani said. She looked to the other figure, who removed his cap next.

"Will," Dani said, flabbergasted. The second rescuer had been Will Riker, and Dani was truly speechless. She hadn't even recognized his voice. She was so confused at the moment. She didn't know what to think. She didn't want to think. She was tired of thinking.

"Let's get you to sickbay," Bashir said. He led her out of the transporter room.


	9. Chapter 9

Six months later on Deep Space Nine...

"Computer, time," Dani requested. She was comfortably buried in her bed, under the covers.

"The time is 0830 hours," the computer replied.

"I guess I could go in early for a change," Dani said. She considered it for a moment and then decided against it. "Nah." She rolled back over, pulling the covers over her head more.

The door chimed. Dani groaned. 'Maybe if I just ignore it, they'll go away.' So, Dani lay there, silently willing her visitor away. She realized it wasn't going to happen when the door chimed again.

'Who is this?' Dani thought throwing the sheets back and drudgingly rolling out of bed. She padded through the living room to the door on bare feet, wearing running shorts and a tank. She was already at the door when she realized that maybe she should've put on a robe or something, but the door chimed again, and Dani decided to just forget the robe. She was wearing shorts and a tank. That was enough. Besides, she wasn't trying to impress anybody.

Dani deactivated the lock and opened the doors. The last person she would expect to see was standing in the corridor.

"Will," Dani said.

Will had been surprised at Dani's attire. He knew it was a little early, but he'd expected her to at least be dressed. It'd been so long since he'd seen her, he'd almost forgotten how good she looked.

"Hello, Dani," he said. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No," Dani said. "Come in." Will walked into Dani's quarters and the doors shut behind him. "Actually, I was just thinking about getting up."

"You were in bed?" Will asked.

"Well, I wasn't asleep. I was contemplating going to my shift early, but I couldn't think of enough reasons to do it, so that option lost."

Dani didn't know what to say or do next. She walked over to the couch and sat down. Then, she changed her mind and stood up again.

"What are you doing here?" she finally asked Will.

"I was just passing through," Will said casually.

"You're lying," Dani accused teasingly.

Will smiled and shook his head. "Same old Dani."

"Have a seat," Dani said. She retreated to the bedroom and returned sporting a navy bathrobe. She sat down again on the couch, as he sat in the chair across from her. The ice was broken now, and Dani was feeling a little more at ease.

"I'm on leave," Will explained. "I came by to check up on you."

"Oh," Dani said.

The two stared at each other uncomfortably for a few moments. So, maybe the ice wasn't that broken.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about what happened to Dukat," Will said, breaking the silence.

"No, you're not," Dani said, "and neither is anyone else who never knew him." Dani knew an empty sentiment when she heard one. "You're only saying that because it's the polite thing to say."

"That's not true--" Will started to say, but Dani stopped him.

"I don't like being patronized, Will," Dani said sternly. "You should know that, as long as you've known me. You ask any Starfleet officer about Marac Dukat, and they'll tell you he was a horrible man. He was a conniving snake, he was this and that. And they may be right. He might've been all those things at some point, but when he was with me, he was different. He loved me, and no one understands how I could've loved him back."

It became obvious to Will that this was still a very touchy subject with Dani. She was still feeling the effects of what had happened six months ago. "You're right," Will said. "We don't understand. Maybe you can explain it."

Dani stood and walked over to a viewport. She turned and looked at Will. "How do you explain love? I sure as hell don't know how."

Will stood and started to approach Dani. "What did your parents think?"

"What do you think they thought? As soon as I told them," Dani looked down at her hands, "they ended the transmission. It took me getting stabbed before they would even talk to me again." She remembered that they'd contacted her while she was still on the Defiant. They had only been on non-speaking terms for a few days, but it had felt like an eternity. "They thought I was crazy," Dani continued. "Much like they did when you and I first started dating." A little smile broke out across her face. "You remember that?"

"All too well," Will said, a smile forming in his beard. "Boy that sure was something; trying to convince your parents that I wasn't up to something."

"Yeah..." Dani trailed. She'd thought of a way to make things a little clearer for Will. "Now imagine what that would've been like if your past was Dukat's past. And that I'm not just trying to convince my parents, but a whole station of people." Dani could see a bit of understanding on Will's face that wasn't there before. "It's damn near impossible. After a while, I just stopped caring what other people thought, even my parents."

"That's not an easy thing to do," Will acknowledged.

"I know. But I was happy."

Will took few more steps toward Dani. "Dani, I'm sorry. Truly. About everything. About Dukat, your parents...about us."

Dani looked at Will. "I appreciate that. I do. It's very big of you to be able to say that."

"Dani, I have missed you. I won't lie. When I heard about you and Dukat, I was furious. But my situation was my own fault. I shouldn't have let you go in the first place."

Dani realized what Will was trying to say and decided to let him finish. She looked out the window as he continued.

"I was mad, we were both mad," he continued. "I know a lot's happened since then, but I want to try to work this out. If you're willing." Will stepped right up to Dani. "Are you?"

"I don't know," Dani said truthfully. The fact of the matter was that she wasn't quite over Dukat, yet. She turned and looked up at Will. She was being given a second chance at something special. "We'll see."

Dani's door chimed again. "What is going on today? Come in!" she called.

The doors opened Chakotay entered. She'd been wrong before. These two people were the ones she'd least expected to see at her door.

"Dad," Dani said timidly.

Chakotay stopped short when he saw Will.

Will looked at Dani. "I'll be around for a few days," he said. "I'll talk to you later."

Dani nodded. Will headed for the door, greeting Chakotay as he exited. Dani was left alone with her father.

"Well, I didn't expect to see you here," she began.

"Neither did I, to be truthful," Chakotay said.

A thick silence followed before Dani sliced through it.

"Dad, I'm so sorry," she said. "You know that I love you and Mom, but I loved him, too." She didn't need to say his name. They both knew who she was talking about.

"No matter how hard that is to hear," Chakotay began, "I've come to realize that it's just one of those things you have to accept. This whole thing has made me realize, once and for all, that you're going to do what you want to do, no matter what your mother or I think." He laughed a little. It wasn't because he found anything funny. He chuckled because a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

"Daddy, it's not that I don't respect your opinions," Dani said, walking up to her father. "I do. It's just...sometimes I don't exactly agree with them."

"I understand." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Dani, I need to apologize for my behavior. I was...a jerk." Both he and Dani laughed a little.

"Yeah, you were," Dani agreed.

"We love you, Dani, and when it comes down to it, all we really want is for you to be safe and happy. Well, you've pretty much always known what would make you happy. It's always been your safety we've been worried about. Now, though, I guess there's not much left for us to take care of in that department, either. You've been through the Academy. You made it through command school." Chakotay sighed. "You can take care of yourself just fine." With that, he let go of the strings of his balloon called 'Little Girl' for good.

"Come on," Chakotay said. "Your mother's waiting in the replimat. I told her we could meet her there."

"Great," Dani said. She was about to leave with her father when she remembered that she wasn't dressed properly, yet. She let out a little laugh. "Maybe I should get dressed first."

Chakotay nodded. "Good idea."

"You can wait here. I won't be long."

"Okay."

Dani went to her bedroom, quickly changed into a clean uniform, and combed her hair. She was out again a few minutes later.

"Ready?" Chakotay asked.

"Let's go," Dani said.

On the way out into the corridor, Chakotay asked, "So, what's going on between you and Will? Are you two getting back together?"

"Dad..." Dani whined.


End file.
